Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice
by Ispychan
Summary: The sequel of Phantom Angel: An Animal Crossing In Action. Vicki met a boy named Robert, who carried the heroic blood just like her, his sister, and his friend from the town called Emblem where it was now destroyed by the evil dark knight named Allen. With the new evil approaching to StarLily, Phantom Angel must stop the evil with her new surprisingly ally!
1. Prologue

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Prologue

It was a tragic day in the town called Emblem. There was a guy with the purple hair, blue eyes, wore a white mask, and wore the knight outfit. He took a lot of damage during the fight in order to protect his hometown. He barely moved and caught up with the small green dragon who was also injured. He picked him up and carried him around his arms.

"N-Neon…what should we do?" the purple-haired guy asked.

Neon barely opened his eyes and looked at the dark crystal, which it was attached to the town plaza. "I'd say let's get out of here…It's the only way! We must go to the train with Lorelei and Darren quickly!"

As soon as the young hero and Neon were heading to the train station, someone was blocking in their way. They saw a guy with dark navy hair, red eyes, wore a black mask, and wore a black outfit. He held the spear with the pointy arrow that was made of dark crystal. He glared and grinned at his weak enemies.

"Going somewhere, foolish mayor?" said the young villain. "I'm afraid you and your guardian should die here, instead of making an escape and survive! Just give it up already!"

"Ugh, not a chance, Allen!" the hero groaned.

"Oh, and what do you mean by that?" Suddenly, someone began to throw stones at Allen. He turned around and asked, "Hey, who did that?!"

When the two humans and the dragon looked around, they saw two villagers with their slingshots in their hands. One villager was a girl with blue eyes, pink hair with the ponytail, and wore an overall dress. Another villager was a boy with green eyes, orange hair, wore the one-ball tee, and blue pants.

"Lorelei, Darren!" the hero shouted in surprise.

"Big brother, Neon, are you both alright?" Lorelei asked.

"Yes, we're alright!" Neon answered. "Thanks to both of you!"

"How dare you both interfere?!" Allen asked, as his eyes were glowing red. "You will pay for that!"

Allen began to raise his spear at Lorelei and Darren, but he was pushed down by Lorelei's heroic brother. "Lorelei, Darren, run to the train station right now!"

"We're on it, Masked Swordmaster!" said Darren, as he took Lorelei's hand. "Come on, Lorelei, let's go!"

"Right, we'll see you there!" said Lorelei, as she ran to the train station with Darren.

While Masked Swordmaster carried Neon around his arms, he rushed to the train station. But he was stopped by Allen, who quickly grabbed his ankle. He shook his leg and stomped Allen's hand really hard. After Allen let go of his ankle, Masked Swordmaster got to the train station in time. All of the sudden, he began to collapse and his form was changed into a normal human with red hair and was wearing the normal clothes.

"Robert!" Lorelei and Darren cried in unison, as they rushed to him and Neon.

"G-Guys…help us take to the train quickly…" Robert groaned.

Lorelei and Darren took Robert and Neon to the train. As they got onto the train, it was starting to depart before Allen showed up with his retainer.

"Hurry, stop that train!" Allen ordered.

"With pleasure, Master Allen!" said the man with short black hair and red eyes. He quickly used his bow and arrow to shoot down the train. "Arrow bombshell!"

When the arrow was approaching to the train, Neon quickly used his magic to reflect the arrow. So, the arrow ended up shooting the train tracks, instead of the train, and it exploded. As soon as the smoke cleared up, Allen and his archer saw the train still going on and disappeared.

"NO!" Allen yelled furiously. "They successfully escaped!"

"What are we going to do now, master?" the archer asked.

"By now, we won't do anything yet. We may never know of where they're heading. So, let's move out!"

Inside of the train, Robert and the others saw Allen and his archer left the train station. They were very relieved when they were finally safe. Robert looked at his wristband on his left arm and noticed that its power was too low. He tapped on it, but it suddenly went out.

"This isn't good…" Robert sighed. "My transformation wristband's power is fading…what to do now…"

"We're staying inside of the train for now," said Neon. "Until we will find a good town that is lively and have a very good atmosphere. That way, we'll be staying there for a little longer."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…let us rest for now."

As the train kept on going, Robert and the others took a long rest after the chaos from Emblem. While everyone was asleep during the train ride, Robert was awake and saw something through the window at night. He saw a shooting star and decided to make a wish.

"I wish I will meet the girl who will appear to be my true love," Robert whispered. "Someone who is passionate, very cute, will do anything to entertain me, and have a same common as I have…"

After Robert made a wish, he fell asleep. No one knew of where they're heading at that very moment until the time has come…

Later at night in the town of StarLily, there was a girl named Vicki Silverwing. She's the mayor of this town and had green hair and brown eyes. While she was lying down on her bed, she looked through the window and made a heavy sigh. Suddenly, she saw a shooting star at the starry night. She quickly got out of her bed and made a wish.

"Oh, I wish I will find true love," said Vicki. "I really want someone who is handsome, good-looking, have a good heart, and have a same common as I have!"

Time would tell for those two wishes to come true. Who would know? Perhaps, their fate and destiny would soon lie ahead…for the sake of the new mission.


	2. New Evil And New Ally

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 1: New Evil And New Ally

It's been three months after Teb's invasion ended, thanks to Phantom Angel. Vicki went to Main Street with her younger brother, Nick and her best friend, Serenity. Both of them became lovers and had been together ever since Serenity first arrived in StarLily. They were holding hands and glanced at each other. Vicki was very envy, but she didn't seem to care at all. They all looked at the clock tower, which Vicki came up with an idea last year. It was so amazing that you could see the clock up high and listened to the bells toll when you're at Main Street.

"Wow, check out this clock tower!" said Nick happily. "It's looking awesome!"

"I know, right?" said Vicki. "I'm very glad that it's finally here!"

"Same here!" Serenity agreed.

Suddenly, the two boys appeared right behind them. They were the twin brothers who lived next door to Vicki and Nick. Their names were Sammy and Jimmy, also known as the Slapjack brothers.

"I've got to say, this Main Street becomes more lively right now than before!" said Sammy.

"Yeah, it's so incredible!" said Jimmy, as he took a picture of the clock tower with his smartphone.

"You bet it is alright!" said Vicki. "You two would've seen the hotel!"

"Speaking of which, let's go to the hotel right now!" said Nick.

Vicki, Nick, and Serenity entered the hotel along with the Slapjack brothers. They saw some animals booking in the hotel rooms. They saw the dining room, reception area, and even the gym that were inside of the hotel. They also had the stairs and elevators so you could go on which floor you want.

"Isn't it classy or what?" Vicki asked.

"I believe it's so elegant," Serenity replied.

"It's very amazing, I daresay!" said Nick. "If only there's a guest who is a human, then he or she will be staying in this hotel and enjoy it!"

"Yeah, you're probably right about that, Nick!" said Vicki excitedly. "He or she will do anything to stay in this hotel as long as they want to!"

At the train station, the train had arrived and stopped at StarLily. Neon felt the atmosphere that was so lively and refresh. He got out of the train right away and so did Robert, Lorelei, and Darren. As soon as they left the train station, Robert felt so refresh that he forgot all about his injuries and pains back at Emblem.

"Wow, the fresh air of this town is so good!" said Robert. "I feel that my energy is coming back to me because this atmosphere is positively refresh! Does anyone know the name of this town?"

"Hi there, welcome to StarLily!" said Vicki cheerfully, as Robert and the others saw her smiling and standing right in front of them.

Robert gasped very slowly and blinked his blue eyes at Vicki while she did the same thing with her brown eyes met his blue eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before one of them could say anything. Nick and Serenity glanced at each other in a curious way and so did Lorelei and Darren.

"Oh hello, thanks for the warm welcome," said Robert politely. "May I ask your name?"

"My name is Vicki Silverwing, I'm the mayor of this town," Vicki replied shyly.

"My name's Robert Goldstein, it's very pleasure to meet you, Vicki."

"Ha ha, same here!"

"Ahem..." Nick sighed, as he was pretending to clear his throat. But Vicki nor Robert didn't hear him at all, and they continued talking to each other.

"So, um...Robert, what brings you here?" Vicki asked. "Are you planning to stay in this town? Or are you planning to stay in the hotel that we have, in Main Street, right now?"

"Seriously, you have a hotel in Main Street?" said Robert excitedly.

"Ahem!" Nick interrupted, as he started to clear his throat for real. But Vicki and Robert continued talking to each other that they could hardly hear him.

"Why yes, my little brother and the staff members of Nook's Homes made it in few months ago!" said Vicki.

"That's fantastic!" Robert exclaimed. "My little sister, my best friend, and I will love to stay there!"

"Well, that settles it then!"

"AHEM!" Nick interrupted abruptly, as he elbowed Vicki by her arm. She looked at him very sternly and realized that she had forgotten something.

"Oh Robert, let me introduce my little brother and my best friend, Nick and Serenity," said Vicki.

"Hello, it's good to see you!" said Nick, smiling at the travelers.

"It's nice to meet you all," said Serenity.

"And allow me to introduce my little sister and my best friend, Lorelei and Darren," said Robert.

"Hey, what's up?" said Lorelei happily.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all!" said Darren.

"So, may I escort you three to the hotel then?" Vicki asked.

"Oh yes, with pleasure!" Robert answered.

Meanwhile at the destruction of Emblem, there was a black mansion where Allen lived. His fireplace was light up while he was sitting on the couch. Then, there was a girl who was approaching to him. She had black twintails with curls on the ends. She wore a black skirt, a tank top, black stockings, and high-heeled boots. She looked at him with her red eyes solemnly.

"Allen, did you happened to get rid of them?" the girl asked.

"No, Charlene, they managed to escape..." Allen answered, as he looked very disappointed. "I was this close to kill him off..."

"But hey, don't be so down! At least, you got some animals who became your slaves. Those, who didn't escape from this town, will become your animal slaves. It was all thanks to your power of the dark poison crystal!"

"That is true. Not only this dark crystal could turned the animal villagers into slaves, but also erased the memories of Emblem and the hero who protected this town as well!"

Charlene giggled maniacally. "How very wise of you, Allen, my dear."

Suddenly, there was a man appeared at the living room. He had dark brown hair, red eyes, wore a black eye patch on his one eye, had the scar vertically on his another eye, and wore a dark navy blue cape. He gave Allen a report after he had discover something.

"Master Allen, I found out where they are!" he exclaimed.

"Where are they exactly, Lewis?" Allen asked.

"They're in the town called StarLily. I've heard that this place is friendly vibe and...ugh...cute looking. I'm not joking at all, sir!"

"StarLily, you say? I've never been to this town before, but let's move out then, shall we? We're taking the ship and set sailing right now! Get everyone and the animal slaves on board right away!"

"Yes, sir!" said Charlene and Lewis in unison.

As soon as Charlene and Lewis left the living room, she asked him, "What kind of mayor would want cute things in town?" In response, he gave her a shrug with a disgusted look on his face.

Back in StarLily, Vicki and Nick left Main Street after they showed Robert and the others the hotel. They went straight to their home until they saw the dog guardian, Serena appeared at the fountain that Vicki created not too long ago. They both looked around to see if no one's there. So, they approached to her right away.

"Hey Serena, what's up?" Vicki asked.

"Vicki, there's something I have to tell you privately," said Serena, as she was eyeing on Nick.

"Oh, I'm just on my way home right now..." said Nick.

"Sure, I'll see you there then," said Vicki, as she saw Nick walking home before her. Then, she looked at Serena. "Alright, Serena, what is it you want to talk to me privately?"

"Well, something that just struck me not too long ago..." Serena explained. "It was few hours ago, I'm beginning to sense that there's another human carried the heroic blood like you."

"What? Someone else carried the heroic blood like me?"

"Yes, but it's somehow very faint...I can tell."

"Well, who is it? Any ideas?"

"Oh, how should I know?" Serena shrugged. "I'm afraid I'll leave the rest to you. You will find out who that is whenever the time will come!"

Vicki sighed. "Oh fine, I'll do all the problem solving then...just like I do all the training to become the better heroine!"

In the hotel, Robert was lying on the bed and resting his eyes. Until Neon appeared, he landed on his stomach and woke him up. Robert rubbed his stomach very gently after he felt the pain and started to glare at him.

"Neon, what is that for?" Robert asked. "I was about to go to sleep!"

"Sorry, but I have something urgent to tell you," said Neon, "but I won't be long I promise!"

"Then, what is it exactly?"

"You see...when we first arrived in StarLily, I'm beginning to sense another person with the heroic blood. I may have a weak senses due to a lot of damage back at Emblem, but my guts don't lie."

"So, you're saying another person with the heroic blood is here? In StarLily?"

Neon nodded. "Yes, there is."

"Who is it? Do you know?"

"I don't know..." Neon shrugged. "You will have to see for yourself!"

"Well, thanks a lot...but hopefully, I will meet this heroic person someday...whoever that is."

At the ship, Allen was on deck, looking at the ocean waves. When the man appeared on deck, he had a long black hair tied on the back. He was dressed in black, wore a vest to show his muscles, wore a red headband that matched his eyes, and had four silver rings on each hand. He bowed down to Allen and began to spoke.

"Master Allen, I heard you summon me," he said. "What's my mission?"

"Steel Man, I want you to invade StarLily where Robert and the others are now," Allen replied. "Bring the henchmen and the animal slave with you. And do not fail me, do you understand?"

"Yes sir, I'm on it! I will choose Rizzo as my animal slave."

At night in StarLily, Steel Man, his henchmen, and Rizzo, the mouse had arrived. They all looked around to see if nobody was around. They were heading to Main Street and checked out to see if anybody was there. Since there's nobody in sight, they decided to sneak up behind the hotel and Rizzo was picking up locks with his paper clip. Once they were inside of the hotel, they went to the very bottom of it. They took out the sleeping gas tank and placed the pipe of it into the vent. Steel Man looked at his watch to see what time it was right now.

"Hmm...it's still in the middle of the night, gang," he said. "We might as well wait for it until the daylight comes."

During the night, Vicki fell asleep on her bed. When she started to have a dream, she was standing in front of the town tree as a different person. In her heroic version, she was called Phantom Angel. She felt the wind blowing with cherry blossom petals. Few seconds later, she spotted a person who was standing and looking at the moonlight. He wore a hat and a cape, but he was covered in darkness that Phantom Angel couldn't tell of who it was. Even he looked at her, his face was concealed after she walked only a few steps closer to him. She noticed that he carried the sword which it was bright and shiny. He put his sword into his scabbard and approached to her. Phantom Angel was frightened at first because she thought that he would harm her, just like the evil sorcerer, Teb did to her from few months ago. But this mysterious person didn't want to hurt her at all.

"Um, hello?" said Phantom Angel nervously. "Uh, you don't look like a bad person, are you?" Then, the mysterious person shook his head. "No, I guess not...Huh?"

Phantom Angel and the mysterious guy were still standing and looking at each other. The shooting star appeared up in the night sky and began to shine very brightly. Finally, this cause Vicki's dream to end right away.

In the morning, the sun began to shine through the window. Vicki was finally awaken from her dream. She was very curious of who the guy was in her dream. Until she looked at her alarm clock, she realized that she was late.

"Oh no, it's 9:30 in the morning, and I was supposed to go to the brunch at the hotel!" Vicki exclaimed, as she hurried to get dressed before she was going to the hotel.

Inside of the hotel, the servers were serving brunch to the customers and the hotel residents. Nick and Serenity were waiting for Vicki to show up. Then, they saw Robert, Lorelei, and Darren walking by to the dining room.

"Hey guys!" said Robert. "Aren't you both going in?"

"Actually, we're waiting for my big sister, Vicki," Nick replied. "She's a bit late if you asked me."

Serenity chuckled nervously. "Well, sometimes, but not all the time though..."

"Just like my big brother," Lorelei grinned. "Every time there's an event going on, he's as late as always!"

"Lorelei..." Robert whispered, clenching his teeth while Darren started to laugh.

While everyone was talking, Sammy and Jimmy entered the hotel and went to the dining room. They started to walk right through the crowd.

"Move it, y'all!" said Sammy in triumph. "Cool people before nerds!"

"Yeah, cool people before nerds!" Jimmy repeated.

After Robert and the others moved away from the Slapjack brothers, they glanced at each other in a very odd way. Nick and Serenity found that irritating while Robert, Lorelei, and Darren found that disturbing.

"Um...nerds?" Robert asked puzzling.

"And they called themselves 'cool people,'" Nick sighed.

"Yeah right, they are NOT that cool!" Serenity exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I can't believe those twins called us 'nerds!'" said Lorelei.

"Word!" Darren sighed.

"But those two are not important anyways," said Nick. "You guys go right ahead, Serenity and I will wait for Vicki."

"Yeah, just go ahead then," Serenity agreed.

"Okay then," said Robert, as he turned to Lorelei and Darren. "Come on, guys, let's go!"

At the basement floor, Steel Man, his henchmen, and Rizzo were finally awaken. When they heard the chattering through the vent, this would be the chance for Steel Man to start his plan.

"Folks, now is the good time to turn on the sleeping gas!" Steel Man ordered. "But first, let's put on our gas masks!"

After Steel Man and his gang put on their gas masks, they started to turn on the sleeping gas tank. The sleeping gas seeped through the vent and started to spread all over the hotel rooms, reception area, gym, and the dining room.

Sammy and Jimmy took a plateful of food and put them on their table. Once they sat down, they started to eat in a very sloppy way. Faraway from them, Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were very disgusted after they saw the twin brothers ate like a pig. Few moments later, Robert noticed that one of the animals yawned that their eyes were very heavy and couldn't concentrate on their job. Then, everyone started to yawn at the same time, including Lorelei, Darren, and the Slapjack brothers. Rizzo was behind the wall and spied on the crowd while they were starting to get sleepy.

"Yes, it's working now!" Rizzo grinned, as his eyes were flashing red. "I must tell Steel Man and his henchmen that they're finally asleep, squee!"

Meanwhile, Nick and Serenity were outside of the hotel and still waiting for Vicki to show up. When they saw her, Vicki panted as she ran all the way to the hotel.

"S-Sorry I'm late, you guys..." said Vicki, catching her breath. "I c-couldn't decide...which hat I'm wearing..."

"I think your hat is fine, Vicki," said Serenity.

"Now, can we go to the brunch?" Nick asked impatiently.

Before Vicki, Nick, and Serenity entered the hotel, they saw a group of gangsters were inside of the hotel. Surprisingly, they noticed that Rizzo was part of them. They quickly hid behind the wall before he spotted them.

"Who are those guys?" Serenity asked softly.

"I don't know, but you don't see them everyday," Nick replied softly. "And the worst part is Rizzo, the mouse joins them!"

"Then, why on earth did he choose to join them?"

"Guys, there's something not right about Rizzo..." said Vicki, as her eyes began to twinkle. "This is not the Rizzo we knew all these years..."

"What do you mean by that, sis?" Nick asked.

"When I sensed Rizzo within, it's like his heart was tied up with the chain of evil. And his mind was covered with darkness all over..."

"Wait, do you mean someone is brainwashing Rizzo somehow?" Serenity asked.

Vicki nodded. "Yes, he's been brainwash somehow."

Inside of the hotel, everybody fell asleep except Robert who was coughing after he inhaled the sleeping gas. When Steel Man and his henchmen arrived, he put his head down on the table and couldn't stop coughing while the sleeping gas was on. Then, his sight began to blur while he was spying on them. All of the sudden, he began to pass out and fell asleep.

Before Vicki, Nick, and Serenity entered the hotel, Vicki began to sense something very unusual within the hotel. She could barely see something like a fog or a smoke, but she noticed that it was the gas. The sleeping gas was all over the hotel within.

"Guys, don't go to the hotel yet!" Vicki exclaimed. "Someone has turned on the sleeping gas! If you dared enter, you'll end up falling asleep like the others!"

"What do we do now, sis?" Nick asked.

"Get your gas masks on, and let me take care of the rest!"

"You think you can handle this?" Serenity asked.

"Of course, I can. Just do as I say, alright?"

After Nick and Serenity left and went to get their gas masks, Vicki looked around to see if anyone's there. When she was in few steps away from the hotel, she took out her transformation mic that Serena gave her last year. Then, she remembered something not too long ago. It was a time after Teb was defeated, Serena upgraded her microphone with her spirit powers.

"Vicki, I upgraded your transformation microphone so you will gain new powers," Serena explained. "With your new powers, they will protect you from any evil's harm. You will use your new attacks that you never tried before, and your current attacks will be more powerful than before. When you want to transform, just use those words: 'Angelic power action!'"

After Vicki remembered her flashback between herself and Serena, she raised her transformation mic and shouted, "Angelic power action!"

When Vicki's transformation microphone began to flash, her transformation started with the white dress and blue shorts. Two white long gloves appeared on her hands, a pair of two-inch heeled brown sandals appeared on her feet, and the brown belt appeared around her waist. Her wings suddenly appeared and attached to her back. Her normal haircolor was changed into brown and her hairstyle became a bun with laurels around it. The green scarf was wrapped around her neck and tied in a bow on one side. Her white eyeshadow appeared on her eyes and her pink lip gloss appeared on her lips. Finally, the white mask appeared in front of her face. She became the different person known as Phantom Angel.

Steel Man told his henchmen to take Robert and the others after he spotted them. Then, he told Rizzo to come with him. Suddenly, they saw an angel standing in front of them that they didn't dare move a muscle.

"Hold it right there!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "Nobody takes anybody as hostages!"

Steel Man whistled at her and asked, "And who might you be, cutie?"

Phantom Angel was annoyed and cleared her throat right away. "I am the hero of melody and purity, the name's Phantom Angel! Now, just tell me who you are exactly!"

"The name's Steel Man! Before you will feel my wrath, my henchmen won't go easy on you if you dare." Then, he ordered his henchmen to attack Phantom Angel.

Phantom Angel started to fight Steel Man's henchmen one by one. She punched them, kicked them, knocked them down with the vase, and even pulled the rug away from them. When they were out cold, Steel Man told Rizzo to leave the hotel. After the mouse left, he cracked his knuckles and his neck. This made Phantom Angel a bit frightened, but that didn't stop her at all.

"Angelic boomerang!" Phantom Angel called, as she threw the boomerang at Steel Man. But he immediately caught it and smashed it into pieces.

"Is that the best you can do?" Steel Man asked.

Phantom Angel quickly shook her head and began spreading her wings. She called out her another attack. "Angelic feather tornado!"

Steel Man crossed his arms in front of him and blocked her attack. He began to grin and said, "You can do better than that to stop me!"

Phantom Angel wasn't giving up that easily. She took out her guardian staff and called out her strongest attack. "Guardian light obliteration!"

Steel Man put his hands together and cancelled out Phantom Angel's attack. She was in a big shock after he repelled her attacks, even the strongest one. She didn't know of what to do next. When he charged right through her, she quickly avoided him. Phantom Angel ran upstairs with Steel Man chasing her. While they reached to the top floor, he got her cornered and there's nowhere else to run. But she had a brilliant idea, she flew away from the top floor. He quickly jumped and tried to catch her, but he fell to the main floor instead.

After Steel Man was out cold, Phantom Angel flew down to the main floor. Then, she saw Nick and Serenity with their gas masks on. They followed her to the dining room; and she told them to take everyone out of the hotel. So, they did until Steel Man regained his consciousness and blocked their way.

"Nobody is going out of this hotel!" Steel Man exclaimed, as he turned to Rizzo. "Do your stuff, Rizzo!"

"With pleasure, squee!" said Rizzo, as he removed the gas masks from Nick and Serenity. They suddenly felt drowsy and fell asleep on the floor.

"Oh no, Nick, Serenity!" Phantom Angel shouted. "Wake up, both of you!"

"Now, it's your turn to pass out," said Steel Man. "Since the sleeping gas didn't work on you, I have a few tricks up in my sleeve!"

Phantom Angel was frightened since none of her attacks work against Steel Man. She quickly ran away from him until Rizzo pushed the chair to block her way. She tripped over it and fell down. As soon as she got up, Steel Man grabbed her and began to squeeze her with his muscles. She tried to lose his grip, but she got squeezed very tightly that she began to scream in pain.

"It looks like you're lacking strength as far as I can tell," said Steel Man. "If only you will know and meet someone who possesses strength, only that person can defeat me! But I guess that's not going to happen right now, is it?"

After Phantom Angel's scream ended, she suddenly fell unconscious. Steel Man carried her and told his henchmen and Rizzo to leave the hotel. As soon as they left, Robert's wristband began to glow. He slowly opened his eyes and was finally awaken. He immediately stood up and looked around the dining room, where it turned out to be a mess.

"What just happened here?" Robert asked softly.

"There's no time to waste in here, Robert!" Neon began to communicate through Robert's wristband. "I have some urgent news, Steel Man was already here! He's taken someone as his hostage!"

"What?! Who's Steel Man's hostage? And where are they now?"

"Just don't ask questions! You need to transform, stop Steel Man, and save the hostage from his demise!"

Robert sighed. "Fine, I'll do it as I can..."

Robert looked around to see if nobody's looking, including Nick and Serenity who were still sleeping on the floor. Since everybody, in the hotel, was asleep due to the sleeping gas still turned on, he tapped his wristband and raised his hand.

"Knight power action!" he shouted.

With Robert's wristband began to glow, he clapped his hands three times above his head. Suddenly, his yellow gloves appeared on his hands, then the white tunic, yellow belt, brown pants, and finally the light brown boots appeared on his feet. The slivery cape appeared on his back, his haircolor changed from red to purple, and his brown hat appeared on his head. Finally, the white mask appeared in front of his face. He became the different person known as Masked Swordmaster.

At the sailboat, Steel Man and his henchmen were ready to set sailing. When one of his henchmen started to steer the boat, someone suddenly grabbed onto the edge of it. The other henchmen looked behind to see what it was. But it turned out that it was clearly nothing at all, and so they went back to their own business.

At the bottom of the sailboat, Phantom Angel slowly opened her eyes and was finally awaken. She found herself trapped inside of the cage and looked around the room. When she tried to get up, she found herself tied up with her hands behind her back and her legs, too. It wasn't difficult for her to sit up without using her hands. She looked up the window and noticed that the town was almost gone. Which means, the sailboat was already departing. She wanted to get out of there as fast as she could, but she couldn't get herself free from the ropes or break down the cage. All of the sudden, she heard someone banging on the door.

"Hey, keep it down in there!" the henchman shouted, as he was guarding the room that Phantom Angel was held.

Phantom Angel leaned close to the cage bars and looked up the window. She was now terrified that she didn't know of what they would do to her or where they're taken her. She was so frightened that she began to cry and started to sniffle softly.

_I don't really want to know of what's going to happen to me..._ Phantom Angel thought. _Nobody knows I'm trapped in here, not even Serena knows of where I am right now! If only someone knows of where I am, I only wish they will save me right now..._

Suddenly, there was a fight going on above the sailboat. Then, one of the henchmen fell down the stairs after he got defeated. The another henchman helped him up and asked him of what just happened. The beaten henchman looked up and pointed at the guy with the brown hat and the silvery cape.

"You have got to be kidding me!" the henchman exclaimed, after he saw with his own eyes. He quickly dragged his ally to the door and guard the room where Phantom Angel was. "You will guard the room this time, I'll take care of him!"

Phantom Angel suddenly overheard the fighting and the battle cries behind the door. Then, she began to sense something very unusual, but it's not too strong and not too weak either. When someone opened the door, she saw a good-looking guy with the brown hat, the silvery cape, and the white mask, which it was similar to hers. He was none other than Masked Swordmaster. As he approached to her, she gasped softly and moved away from him for a bit.

"Don't be alarm, I'm here to get you out," said Masked Swordmaster, as he unlocked the cage door after he took the key from one of the henchmen and opened it. "Come on, I'll help you out."

"R-Really? I mean, okay..." said Phantom Angel nervously, as she tried to move closer to Masked Swordmaster. Then, he helped her by dragging her out of the cage.

As soon as Masked Swordmaster carried Phantom Angel by his arms, they suddenly stared at each other for a split second. Phantom Angel held her breath and looked into his eyes with her own twinkling eyes. She sighed as she began to blush. Masked Swordmaster looked into her eyes with his own glimmering eyes. He sighed very softly and gulped at the same time. When someone entered the room, it didn't last a very long time.

"Hey, what's with the-?" Rizzo asked, as he suddenly saw two humans were in the room and began to shout. "Steel Man, there's a stowaway in the room! And he's planning to take the angel with him, squee!"

Steel Man came into the room and saw someone very unexpectedly. He wasn't looking at Phantom Angel, he was glaring at Masked Swordmaster instead.

"You there!" Steel Man growled, as he cracked his knuckles and his neck. "Pretty boy, I thought you're dead meat, but you're somehow still alive!"

"Um...what is that insane muscle freak talking about?" Phantom Angel asked anxiously.

"I'll answer that later," Masked Swordmaster replied, as he put Phantom Angel down to the corner and began to fight Steel Man.

"Hey wait, you forgot to untie me..."

"I'll do that after I'll take care of this guy."

"You can defeat him, right? Because the last time I fought him, he squashed me like a marshmallow!"

"Ha, serves you right, Phantom Angel!" said Steel Man. "Once I will crush this guy, he will be joining you in the cage!"

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen, Steel Man," said Masked Swordmaster. "When I'm done with you, this angel and I will return to StarLily!"

"Oh, we will see about that!"

Masked Swordmaster and Steel Man were ready to fight. Steel Man was throwing punches while Masked Swordmaster dodged his moves. Then, the knight grabbed the punk leader's arm and threw him to the floor. Phantom Angel was amazed that Masked Swordmaster has a lot of effort and strength. Steel Man got up already and was about to punch him, but the white knight held his fist just in time. He suddenly punched his stomach and his face. He grabbed the empty box to smash him. The muscle-brained punk wasn't giving up that easily as he took the metal stick and charged right through him. Masked Swordmaster grabbed onto the stick and pushed Steel Man to the cage. He immediately closed the cage and locked it. Finally, he opened the window and threw the key to the ocean.

"Wow, I've got to say, that is so awesome!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "You have a lot of guts to take this guy down!"

"Oh, it's nothing really," said Masked Swordmaster, as he took out his sword and cut off the ropes from Phantom Angel. "There you go, you're finally free."

"Thank you...um...sorry, I didn't get your name..."

"Oh, you can call me Masked Swordmaster."

"And you can call me Phantom Angel!"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you..." Few seconds later, Masked Swordmaster quickly changed his subject. "Oh wait, aren't we supposed to get out of this boat first?"

"Oh, that's right!" Suddenly, Phantom Angel saw Rizzo standing by the door and quickly ran away. "But first, there's something I must do real quick before we leave."

Few minutes later, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster began to make their getaway. He held on to the sack and Rizzo was inside of it. She held on the knight real tightly and started to spread her wings to enlarge them in a magical way. She began to fly and went straight to StarLily. While she was flying, Masked Swordmaster was very impressed that he had never met someone who could fly like her. When they arrived at the beach, they landed on shore and Phantom Angel's wings had returned to normal.

"I think I should be going now," said Masked Swordmaster.

"But will we meet again?" Phantom Angel asked. "Because I have some questions I need to ask..."

"Of course, we will meet again someday. Until then, farewell..."

After Masked Swordmaster left right away, Phantom Angel was standing and looking at him until he was gone. She sighed as her eyes began to glimmer and held her hands together on her chest. Finally, she took Rizzo, who was still inside of the sack, to the police station and let the two police dogs, Booker and Copper to keep an eye on him.

Meanwhile, Lewis was looking at the ocean view on the ship. When he saw an incoming sailboat, he told the henchmen to bring the sailboat and pulled it up. After it was pulled up from the ocean, he looked around the sailboat and saw some henchmen were unconscious. Then, he went to the bottom of it and saw Steel Man trapped inside of the cage.

"Dude, what happened here?" Lewis asked. "And where's Rizzo?"

"I will tell you everything..." Steel Man replied, as he began to glare at Lewis. "...After you get me out of this cage!"

The next day, Vicki was sitting at the town tree drinking her coffee. She couldn't help but to think about the new hero she met from another day. He once told her that they would meet again someday. Vicki was hoping that StarLily would be back in peace once again, but that didn't happen because of the new evil has appeared. Plus, she has lots of questions to ask if Masked Swordmaster would meet her again.

"Hey Vicki!" said Nick, as he and Serenity were walking past her.

Vicki quickly shook off her thought about the new evil or her new ally and turned the attention to her brother and her friend. "Oh hey, Nick, Serenity," she said. "What's up?"

"Oh, we were just walking by and checking on you," Serenity answered. "So, are you alright?"

"Oh yes, I'm good! What about you guys? I mean, ever since you two got a sniff from the sleeping gas after Rizzo took off your gas masks..."

"Oh yeah, we were okay," said Nick.

"Y-Yeah, no harm done at all!" Serenity agreed.

At the hotel, Robert was looking through the window. He couldn't help but to think about the hero of StarLily. He really wanted to tell her something urgent, but he realized that now wasn't a good time for him to do it. If he would meet Phantom Angel once again, he would tell her in a very small details. As he left the hotel room, he ran into Lorelei and Darren.

"Oh guys, what's up?" Robert asked.

"We're about to ask you the same thing..." said Lorelei.

"Oh really now?"

As soon as Robert, Lorelei, and Darren left the hotel, Robert explained to them about what happened yesterday. He told them that Steel Man and his henchmen were there. He immediately stopped them and took Rizzo away from them. But one thing he didn't tell them was that he met Phantom Angel for the first time.

"How on earth did Steel Man get into StarLily?!" Lorelei asked. "You don't suppose...Allen already knows we're here, right?"

"Well, Lorelei...if that's the case, then our big problem begins once again!" Robert answered. "Because we can't let StarLily fall by Allen's doing, just like back in Emblem!"


	3. Archer's Invasion At The Hotel

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 2: Archer's Invasion At The Hotel

At the ship, Steel Man began to explain to Allen about what happened back then. He told him that he met Phantom Angel for the first time. Then, he also told him that Masked Swordmaster sneaked up his sailboat somehow and beat him and his henchmen up. Finally, they took Rizzo from him and made their escape. When Steel Man was done explaining everything, Allen looked up in the sky and thought of something very peculiar.

"Phantom Angel, you say..." said Allen.

"That's right, master, that's the new hero we've never met before!" said Steel Man.

"But that's impossible! I mean, how can another person carried the heroic blood like Robert's?! Hm...Could it possibly be that this person is living in StarLily where Robert is right now?"

"I do believe it is possible, sir!"

"Well, if that's the case, Steel Man, you are excused. Arrowhead, come forth!"

After Steel Man left, the guy with the short, black hair and red eyes who appeared before Allen. He was the same archer who almost shot down the train back in Emblem.

"You wish to see me, Lord Allen?" said Arrowhead, bowing down to Allen.

"Yes, I certainly do," said Allen. "Your mission is to go to StarLily and find that weakly fool, Robert! Just take one of the animal slaves, and don't let one of those meddling fools take away your slave. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir! I'll be on the lookout for that cat, Kabuki!"

In StarLily, Vicki was sitting at the town tree and started to draw a picture. While she was doing that, she was having a daydream. She dreamed about Masked Swordmaster who saved her life when she was Phantom Angel. Until Nick interrupted her dream, she got startled and glared at him.

"Hey Vicki, I tried to call you from afar, but you didn't respond for some reason..." said Nick. "Is everything alright?"

"Um...yeah, I'm okay," Vicki answered nervously. "What is it you want, Nick?"

"I just want to let you know that Robert is inviting us to the dinner at the hotel. Do you want to come?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely! Just let him know that I'm coming; or I can tell him that if I run into him."

"Yeah, sure thing..."

Vicki went to the Roost to buy a cup of coffee to relax her mind. Then, she saw Robert who was sitting next to her and drinking coffee. When he spotted her, he almost choked and began to swallow right away.

"Oh hey, Vicki!" said Robert, putting his cup down.

"Oh hey, Robert!" said Vicki. "Nick already told me that you invited us to dinner! And I will love to come and join you guys!"

"That's great! Thank you for your response."

While Vicki and Robert were talking to each other, Sammy and Jimmy were sitting at the table and overheard their conversation. So, they came up to them and started interrupting.

"Hey, Mayor V!" said Sammy, as he looked at Vicki. And then, he looked at Robert. "And who are you, red?"

"My name is Robert Goldstein," Robert replied. "The question is who are you both exactly?"

"I'm Sammy Slapjack!"

"And I'm Jimmy Slapjack, Sammy's twin brother," said Jimmy. "We're the Slapjack brothers!"

"Also, they appeared to be Nick's and my next door neighbors," said Vicki unenthusiastically.

"Oh well, nice to meet you both," said Robert, as he offered a handshake to Sammy and Jimmy. But neither of the twins wouldn't accept his handshake.

"Uh, no offense, but we don't accept handshakes to the geeks like you!" said Sammy.

"Yeah, we only accept handshakes to the cool people like us!" Jimmy laughed hysterically.

"And...that's what they said," Vicki frowned, rolling her eyes.

"Tell me about it..." Robert frowned.

"Well, I think it's time for us to head out now," said Sammy. "So, smell you all later!"

"Yeah, smell you all later!" Jimmy laughed.

After the Slapjack brothers left the Roost, Vicki and Robert turned around and sighed at the same time. Vicki rolled her eyes and drank her coffee while Robert tapped the saucer very lightly with his fingertip.

"I hope they didn't cause you any trouble, did they?" Vicki asked.

"No, of course not," Robert replied. "Why is that?"

"Well, Nick told me that those two shook off all the bells from him and dumped him into the trash can last year."

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously! Here's the tip for you and the others...Next time whenever you see them, beware of their stupidity or whatever they plan to do something crazy if you know what I mean."

"Uh yeah...whatever you say?" Suddenly, Robert looked at the clock on the wall and realized that he has to go. "I think I should be heading back to the hotel now. I'll see you later at dinnertime!"

"Okay, I'll see you there!"

Few hours later, Arrowhead and his henchmen had arrived at StarLily with Kabuki, the cat. When the animal villagers spotted them, they were frightened and ran away to their homes. Once they were arrived at Main Street, Arrowhead began to sniff his nose and suddenly hit him.

"Folks, I smell a human with the heroic blood nearby!" Arrowhead exclaimed, as he was pointing at the hotel. "And it's coming from that building!"

"So, what's your plan now, meeooo-OH?" Kabuki asked.

"I'd say let's put everyone, in the hotel, to sleep first with my arrow knock-out gas. Then, we'll put this hero out cold and bring him to Allen Parker!"

When Arrowhead and his gang were heading to the hotel, Nick suddenly glanced at them through the window. He got up from his chair and spied on them by the window. Suddenly, he saw them entering the hotel and the door was closed behind them. He wanted to check out to see what's going on so he left Nook's Homes right away. He hid below and looked carefully through the window. He overheard and saw Sammy and Jimmy bumping into Arrowhead and his henchmen. The twins began to scream and ran away from the hotel after he made a threat to them. They left the hotel while they were running and screaming, which caused Nick to startle. Finally, he looked around to see if no one's there before calling Vicki on his smartphone.

Inside of the hotel, everyone passed out after Arrowhead shot the whole place with his arrow knock-out gas. Then, he and his henchmen crashed into every hotel room before they reached to Robert's room, which it was on the top floor.

When Robert, Lorelei, and Darren heard a noise from the bottom floor, they snuck up and saw Arrowhead and his gang. They quickly ran back to their hotel room and closed the door behind them. Neon appeared and wanted to know of what's going on.

"Arrowhead and the bullies are here!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not surprised at all!" said Neon, as he turned to Robert. "Robert, you have to stop them before they put every human and animal in danger!"

"Right, I'm on it!" said Robert, as he tapped his wristband and transformed.

Outside of the hotel, Vicki arrived just in time as Nick showed her of what's going on inside of the hotel. They saw all the animals passed out and saw Arrowhead and his henchmen crashing every hotel room on each floor. Also, they saw Kabuki being on guard of the hotel. Vicki told Nick to be on the lookout before she could transform.

Back inside of the hotel, Arrowhead and his henchmen finally reached to the top floor. Lorelei and Darren peeked through the door and were afraid that they might find them. Before Arrowhead broke down the hotel room, he and his henchmen heard someone coming into the hotel.

"Hey you, didn't someone ever told you to knock before you enter?" Phantom Angel shouted.

"Say, I've never seen you before," said Arrowhead. "Just who are you?"

"Why, I'm the hero of melody and purity! I am Phantom Angel! If you want to fight, then bring it on!"

Lorelei and Darren peeked through the door and saw Phantom Angel for the first time.

"No way, there's another hero appeared?" Lorelei asked surprisingly.

"We've never seen her before, have we?" Darren asked shockingly.

"Did someone mentioned another hero showed up?" Neon asked, as he tried to look through the door to see for himself.

Arrowhead and his henchmen leaped down to the bottom floor. Then, he ordered his men to take Phantom Angel down. While she was fighting them, Serenity stopped by and joined Nick to watch the scene. Kabuki tried to avoid the fight and told Arrowhead that he spotted Lorelei, Darren, and Neon were on the top floor. So, they quickly ran upstairs, but Phantom Angel stopped them and kicked Arrowhead down the stairs. Then, she grabbed Kabuki by his shirt and hung him by the coat hanger. Arrowhead shot her with his mulitple arrows, but she quickly dodged them.

"Angelic halo ring toss!" Phantom Angel called, as her attack countered Arrowhead's attack.

"Spiderweb arrow!" Arrowhead shouted, as he shot the arrow at Phantom Angel. Suddenly, the arrow transformed into the spiderweb and captured Phantom Angel like a net.

Phantom Angel tried to break free from the spiderweb, but she couldn't get out of it. "Hey, get this thing off me, you jerk!" she argued.

Arrowhead laughed. "Sorry, no can do! In any case, it's not you I'm after. Since you're out of my way, I'm only here for a certain someone who-"

"Hey Arrowhead, are you looking for someone particular?" said the familiar voice. Everyone looked around to see of where this voice was coming from. Until they looked at the top floor, it was none other than Masked Swordmaster.

"Ah ha! It is you whom I'm after!" Arrowhead exclaimed.

Nick and Serenity stared at each other in a surprise way and their jaws began to drop.

"Who-Who-Who is that?" Serenity asked.

"I-I-I don't know!" Nick answered.

"Why don't you pick someone your own size?" Masked Swordmaster asked, as he was looking down at Arrowhead.

"Just get down from there and fight like a man!" Arrowhead exclaimed. "Otherwise, I will shoot you down!"

"Ha! With pleasure!"

Masked Swordmaster jumped up from the handrail and grabbed onto the chandeliers to swing. Then, he landed on Arrowhead's henchmen and crushed them. Arrowhead quickly aimed his arrow and shot him, but the swordsman dodged it and saved Phantom Angel who was trapped inside of the net. While Arrowhead kept on shooting at him with his arrows, Masked Swordmaster kept on running and dodging them at the same time. When he reached to the reception desk to block the archer's attack, he cut off the net to set Phantom Angel free.

"Thank you for saving me...again," Phantom Angel smiled, as her eyes began to glimmer while looking at Masked Swordmaster's.

"You're very welcome," said Masked Swordmaster softly, as his eyes began to shine like hers. "And I did told you that we meet again, now didn't we?"

Phantom Angel nodded. "Of course we did meet again! And there's something that I have to ask you, but I guess it will have to wait till later. Am I right?"

"Oh, I guess you're right! Arrowhead is still in large! Whatever the question you want to ask, I'll give you an answer later. I promise you!"

As soon as the two heroes began to get up, Masked Swordmaster felt the sharp pain on one of his ankles. Phantom Angel was worried when she saw him sitting still on the floor and rubbed his ankle very slowly and gently.

"Hey, are you okay?" Phantom Angel asked anxiously.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Masked Swordmaster replied. "It's just a little sprained...It's going to be okay, there's no need to worry about me."

"But-I-Alright, let me stop Arrowhead, you must stay here to recover your ankle."

"Just be careful! You don't even know his antics are!"

"I can handle that! No problem at all!"

Phantom Angel leapt out of the reception desk and faced off Arrowhead. He began shooting his arrows at her, but she began to dodge them. She took out her star compact before he continued shooting.

"Angelic reversal mirror!" Phantom Angel called, as her magical mirror reversed Arrowhead's arrows and turned them against him. The arrows pinned him down on the wall. "Hey Arrowhead, you just lost the battle! So, you might as well leave this town or else!"

Arrowhead growled. "Fine, my henchmen and I are leaving this place once and for all! And we will be back next time!"

Arrowhead and his henchmen disappeared from thin air, except Kabuki who was left hanging on the coat hanger. Phantom Angel walked up to the cat and took out her talisman. She would've used it on Rizzo, but she might as well give it a try on Kabuki. Hopefully, it would break a curse from him if it turned out to be successful.

"Okay, Kabuki, you must remember that we are not your enemies, we are your friends!" said Phantom Angel. "We're only trying to help you, just don't move!"

"I have nothing to say to you, meooo-OH!" Kabuki argued. "Whatever you're planning to do with me, it won't work at all!"

"Then, we'll see about that! Oh, light of the talisman, remove the curse from Kabuki and return him back to normal!"

Phantom Angel's talisman began to flash in front of Kabuki, and he quickly closed his eyes. When the flash disappeared, everyone looked at Kabuki whether he was back to normal or not. Even Masked Swordmaster wanted to find out for himself if it turned out to be okay. As Kabuki opened his eyes, the glowing red eyes were still there. That would've mean Phantom Angel's talisman didn't work after all.

"That's odd, why didn't my talisman break the evil curse from Kabuki?" Phantom Angel asked.

"It's because someone puts the powerful curse on him and the other animals as well," Masked Swordmaster replied. "There's nothing we can do about it, not even your talisman is powerful enough to break it...But at least, you did your best."

"Then...can you tell me about this evil curse?"

"Sure! Once we will take Kabuki to Booker and Copper, I'll tell you about it."

After the heroes sent Kabuki to Booker and Copper, Masked Swordmaster explained to Phantom Angel about the evil curse. He told her how the animals became evil by who and what caused them.

"So wait, you were saying that some animals were being controlled by the evil leader who holds the dark poison crystal?" Phantom Angel asked anxiously.

Masked Swordmaster nodded and said, "Yes, this crystal is a deadly one...to me."

Phantom Angel was shocked to hear those words. "D-Deadly? To you? How so?"

Masked Swordmaster sighed heavily. "S-Sorry, I have to go now! We'll talk more whenever we'll meet again."

"Promise?"

"Yes, this I promise you! Until then, farewell..." Masked Swordmaster left Phantom Angel's side and ran off.

In the evening, Vicki went to the hotel and saw Robert coming down the stairs. They both appeared at the same time and went to the dining room together. They joined in with Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren at the same table.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late!" said Vicki, as she immediately turned to Robert. "Are we that late?"

"Not really I believe..." Robert shrugged.

"Oh no, you guys are just in time!" said Lorelei.

"Yeah, so what's new?" Nick asked, as he was looking at Vicki in a suspicious way.

Before Vicki could answer, she saw a yellow dog named Isabelle, who was running to the dining room and joined the pink otter named Lottie, who was waiting for her. Isabelle took out some pictures from her pocket and showed them to Lottie. Then, Lottie took out her smartphone and showed some videos to Isabelle. They each looked at the pictures and the videos one at a time. Finally, they looked at each other in a very impressive way.

"Wow, who would've thought that Phantom Angel had a new ally?" Isabelle asked. "We haven't seen her in few months since the New Year's Eve performance. But the big question is who is her ally, and where did he come from?"

Lottie whistled while looking at one of the pictures. "Who knows? A guy with the hat and a cape who is looking handsome as your brother, Digby..."

Isabelle groaned as she was looking at Lottie with an odd expression on her face. "Um...this is Phantom Angel's ally we're talking about, right?"

"Well, what else are we talking about?" Lottie shrugged.

Isabelle sighed. "Anyways, we don't even know much about her ally. But as far as I can tell, they are not related!"

"Hmm, you're probably right about that. Either they could be friends or perhaps, they're..." Lottie gasped, as something struck her all of the sudden. "Or perhaps, they could be lovers!"

"Lottie!" Isabelle was irritated when she rolled her eyes and placed her paw on her face.

After overheard the conversation between Isabelle and Lottie, Vicki almost choked herself while she was drinking tea. Robert coughed a few times after he accidentally swallowed his food. Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren had nothing to say or to do. But they were staring at the two humans, who were secretly carried the heroic blood that neither of them knew about it yet, in a very awkward way.


	4. Cherry Blossom Picnic

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 3: Cherry Blossom Picnic

When the cherry blossoms began to bloom on springtime, Vicki, Serenity, and Lorelei began to smell the air full of cherry blossoms. They saw how beautiful they were. So, Lorelei took a picture of them with her smartphone. Serenity collected some petals and smelled them all at once. Vicki began to daydream while she was feeling the air full of cherry blossoms.

"When you feel the breeze with cherry blossoms, don't you feel the love is in the air with the certain guy you met from the very first time?" Lorelei asked. "I certainly do with Darren by my side!"

"I feel the same way, too, with Nick!" Serenity answered. "And there's no other guy better then him."

Vicki sighed heavily. "You girls are so lucky that you found your own boyfriends; and I don't! I am so jealous now...I wish I have my own boyfriend right about now."

"Oh Vicki, we're so sorry that you don't have one," said Serenity mournfully.

"Yeah, it's so sad that you can't find true love," said Lorelei. "Because my brother feels the same way as you."

"Really? So, he doesn't have a girlfriend at all?" Vicki asked.

"Well...last year, he used to have one. Until several months later, she turned him down, broke his heart, and met someone else. And now, he doesn't have one, not anymore..."

"Oh, that's terrible! Poor Robert, I hope he gets over it, doesn't he?"

"By the looks of it, he never mentions or thinks about her ever again!"

"I believe he's moving on, right?" Serenity asked, as Lorelei nodded at her.

Meanwhile at the gym, Robert started doing the pull-ups with Nick and Darren watching him. After he was all worn out, he landed on his feet and grabbed the towel to clean off the sweats. Nick was so amazed that he hasn't met anyone doing all the workouts, besides the jock villagers.

"I got to say, Robert, how long have you been doing all the workouts like this?" Nick asked.

"Well, for the countless times, but I have to say over a year," Robert replied.

Nick widened his eyes in amazement. "N-No way! A year?!"

"Well, you heard him, Nick," said Darren. "Believe it or not, he does that many times!"

"Wow, if I'm starting to workout, my girlfriend, Serenity will be impressed," said Nick, with a bright smile on his face.

Robert chuckled. "That's what Darren said not too long ago! He wants to make my little sister proud!"

Darren laughed nervously. "Y-Yeah, that is true, but I choose to be myself for now...for Lorelei's sake."

"Say, Robert, do you have a girlfriend by any chance?" Nick asked.

Robert bit his lip and put his towel down. He blinked his eyes for a moment and cleared his throat. He answered, "I used to have one in the past...Until several months later, she betrayed me and fell in love with someone else this whole time. So right now, I don't have one anymore, but I kept on wishing to find true love. Once I will find her, my wish will come true!"

"Man, that's really tough...And my sister kept wishing the same thing!

Robert looked at Nick in surprise. "Oh really?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, really! Ever since I fell in love with Serenity, she's very envy at me. Because there wasn't a guy who fell in love with her in years, not even she first arrived in StarLily!"

"Is that so?" Darren asked. "That reminds me of Robert, he was so jealous that he couldn't say a word when I first fell in love with his sister."

"Dude, there's no need to remind me, alright?" said Robert abruptly, as he was starting to hesitate. "I think I'm going to hit the showers now. I'll see you later."

At night, Vicki looked up in the sky at the window. She was so desperate that she was hoping to find true love. As soon as she went to bed and fell asleep, she was having a dream. It was the same dream she had once before. She was in her heroic version and met the mysterious guy.

"Um, hello?" said Phantom Angel curiously. "W-W-Who are you exactly? What brings you here? Is there anything I can help you?"

"Actually, it is I, who ask for your help," said the mysterious voice, with the echo sound.

"Then, what kind of help do you want me to do exactly...sir?"

"I'll tell you about it whenever the time is right and not right now I'm afraid..."

After Vicki's dream ended with the shooting star at the night sky, she suddenly woke up by her smartphone. While it was ringing, she quickly picked it up and began to answer.

"H-Hello?" Vicki called in her sleepy voice.

"Hi Vicki, this is Lorelei," Lorelei answered on her smartphone. "Listen, I already asked Robert and Darren about the picnic you planned for today. And they said they will love to come!"

"That's great, Lorelei! Thanks for the response!"

"No problem, Vicki! We'll see you there today!" Lorelei hung up her smartphone, as Vicki did the same thing on her own smartphone.

Later in the morning, Vicki made some sandwiches and packed some food and drinks into the picnic basket. Nick was very curious about her behavior lately. As if he noticed that she wasn't in her usual self lately, then he might want to know right away.

"Hey big sister, I don't want to disturb you and all, but you're acting so strange lately," said Nick suspiciously.

"Oh, what do you mean by that, little brother?" Vicki asked.

"Well, you see...how do I put it this way? Ever since Robert and the others first arrived in StarLily, you're not your usual, normal self anymore. I mean, you're acting so weird lately...Does this have to do with the new hero who saved your life back then?"

Vicki immediately closed the lid of the picnic basket and began clearing her throat. "Nick, listen...Not only he saved my life, but he also helped me fight the new evil in order to save StarLily."

"Yeah, I know. Serenity and I were there and saw everything back then. So, when did you two first met AND where exactly?"

Vicki didn't answer Nick's questions and carried the picnic basket right away. She went by the door and said, "Let's just go then!"

Nick sighed. "Fine, but you didn't even answer one of my questions!"

Meanwhile at the hotel, Robert and the others went downstairs and left. Lorelei carried the picnic basket while Darren put his arm around her. When they saw Robert's face, they thought he was acting so different lately because he hasn't said a word at all.

"Hey big brother, is everything alright?" Lorelei asked. "You seemed to be quiet and acted so strange lately."

"Oh yeah, everything seems to be alright, little sister," Robert replied.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that! I mean, this isn't like you at all!"

"I have no idea of what you're talking about!"

"You see...when we first came to StarLily, you don't act your usual self anymore. Is this about the cute heroine you saved back then?"

Robert flinched as his face was turning red all over. He gulped and said, "L-Lorelei, t-that doesn't concern to you at all!"

"Oh really? By the looks of it, you seemed to like her after you rescued her from Arrowhead's threats."

"I witnessed that, too," Darren chuckled.

"Anyways, when did you two first met?" Lorelei asked suspiciously.

Robert sighed as he began to clear his throat and said, "Can you guys at least dropped the subject already? Let's just hurry up and get going, shall we?"

"Oh come on! Just answer my question already!"

It's a beautiful day of springtime for everyone to have a picnic. Especially, the cherry blossoms were blooming and its petals fell from the branches. Nick and Serenity sat on one spot of the grass area while Lorelei and Darren were sitting on another spot. Isabelle joined Tom Nook, Digby, and the others at the picnic bench. Vicki decided to have a picnic for herself at the town tree. But Robert decided to join her, instead of joining Lorelei and Darren for the picnic.

"Hey Vicki, don't mind if I joined you?" Robert asked politely. "I would've joined Lorelei and Darren, but I'd rather join you for a change if it's alright with you."

"Oh hi Robert, I wouldn't mind at all; so be my guest!" Vicki replied, as Robert sat down next to her. "Would you like a sandwich? If you like, it's in the picnic basket and help yourself out."

"Why, of course! And thank you very much!" Robert took out the sandwich from Vicki's picnic basket and took a bite out of it. "Wow, this is delicious!"

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, absolutely!"

While Vicki and Robert were enjoying the picnic together, Lorelei took out her smartphone and took a picture of them. Nick was so shocked that his jaws began to drop after he saw them having a picnic together. Until suddenly, Sammy and Jimmy were standing right in front of him and Serenity.

"Hey Nicky boy, Serenity, don't mind if either of you can share us some food?" Sammy asked.

"Yeah, or maybe some leftovers?" Jimmy asked.

"Guys, don't you two make your own food at home?" Nick asked in a disgusted tone.

"Sometimes, but that's not our thing though," Sammy answered.

"Then, why don't you two just pick a fruit from any fruit trees you see?" Serenity suggested.

"Meh, been there, done that!" Jimmy replied.

Sammy took a peek look at Serenity's picnic basket. What he saw were some potato chips and graham crackers. So, he took them away from her basket and started to run off with Jimmy following him.

"We'll just take these, thank you very much!" said Sammy, as he ate some potato chips and gave some to Jimmy.

"Hey, give those back!" Nick and Serenity exclaimed in unison.

After Sammy and Jimmy finished up some potato chips and graham crackers they took from Serenity's basket, they walked up to Lorelei and Darren.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lorelei and Darry boy," said Sammy, "do you guys mind if you can share us some food?"

"If you two are poor, we'll give you some food," said Lorelei sternly.

"But you guys are a bunch of bullies," said Darren arrogantly.

"Oh yeah, how so?" Jimmy asked.

"We saw you both taking some food from every villagers' baskets, including Serenity's!" Lorelei explained.

"So what?" said Sammy. "Even if they don't give us some, we'll take them that wasn't touched or eaten yet!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he was looking through Lorelei's basket and saw a bag of mixed nuts. So, he immediately took it away from her basket and showed it to them. "Like those nuts that you don't need anymore!"

"That's right! And thanks for bringing all the goods! Bye!"

"Wait a minute, they don't belong to you!" Lorelei and Darren shouted, as the Slapjack brothers walked away with their mixed nuts.

After Sammy and Jimmy ate all of the mixed nuts, Sammy threw the empty bag into the trash can. Then, they encountered Vicki and Robert who were sitting at the town tree. When Vicki saw the twins were approaching, she quickly gave some leftover snacks to Robert before she closed her picnic basket.

"What's up, Mayor V, Goldfield?" Sammy asked smilingly.

"It's Goldstein, not Goldfield, Sammy!" Robert corrected him. "And we were just-"

"Hanging out and talking!" Vicki interrupted. "Also, sharing some food with Robert. If you both are planning to take them away from me, then you're not getting anything!"

"Open your basket, Miss Silverwing," said Sammy, getting annoyed.

"Yeah, let us see your basket for a minute!" said Jimmy.

"Dudes, my basket is empty now!" Vicki exclaimed, as she was clutching her basket. "So, there is nothing in there!"

"Just give us the basket, Vicki!" said Sammy, as he took the basket away from her. When he opened it and shook it off, he and Jimmy saw nothing inside of it. "Hey, it IS empty!"

"Yeah, it really is empty!" said Jimmy.

"Well, I told you so!" Vicki argued.

Before Vicki returned her basket from the Slapjack brothers, Robert noticed a loose thread from Sammy's pants. So, he had an idea and whispered to Vicki about it.

"Hey guys, I'll give you an apple, it's on me," said Robert, as he was showing off the apple, Vicki gave him, to the Slapjack twins.

"Do you mean the mayor gave you an apple?" Sammy asked, as he was pointing at Vicki.

"Yeah, we just saw her giving some food to you!" said Jimmy.

"Guys, just take the apple, alright?" said Robert, as he threw the apple and then it rolled down to the town plaza.

Sammy and Jimmy saw the apple rolling and started to chase after it. When Sammy caught the apple, he heard something very unusual like the paper got ripped off, but it was actually a cloth. While he was leaning down, he felt something breezy and ripped on his butt. He touched the back of his pants and found the hole all of the sudden. Vicki and Robert started to laugh, including everyone after what they saw in few seconds ago. Lorelei started to take a picture of Sammy while Nick, Serenity, and Darren continued to laugh out loud. Sammy stood straight up and glared at Robert while Jimmy covered his older brother's bottom with his own jacket.

"You nerd, you will pay for that!" Sammy growled, as he was pointing at Robert. "We'll meet again next time!"

"Yeah, next time is payback for sure!" Jimmy argued, as he and Sammy went home.

Vicki and Robert laughed so hard and then smiled at each other that they completely forgot about the Slapjack brothers. Then, they both looked at the cherry blossoms that were blooming right above them. They began to smell them and then looked at each other. Suddenly, there's a white-spotted, light blue alligator who was right behind them. Her eyes were flashing red as she was starting to flee.

As soon as the alligator went behind the clock tower, she encountered the lady with short, dark green hair and red eyes. When the alligator nodded at her, the green-haired lady used her magic to communicate with someone.

"Master Allen, it looks as though Alli found your rival," said the lady, "and he's having the good time with the mayor of StarLily!"

"Then, I want that guy exterminate once and for all, Ivy!" said Allen. "And make sure the hero of this town, Phantom Angel doesn't get in your way, understand?"

"Yes, master! I'll make sure of that!"

The next morning, Robert came to the town plaza all by himself. He touched the town tree and looked at the cherry blossoms above him. Until suddenly, someone knocked him to the ground. One minute later, he got up and turned around to see who it was. Not only he saw Alli, but he saw Ivy as well.

"Ugh, you...!" Robert groaned. "What are you doing here; and what are you planning to do now?"

Ivy laughed and answered, "Allen wants me to get rid of you, of course." Then, she used her attack right at him.

Robert dodged Ivy's attack and said, "If Allen wants you to get rid of me, then you'll have to fight me first! Knight power action!"

After Robert transformed into Masked Swordmaster, he drew his sword at Ivy and said, "As the hero of strength and intelligence, I won't let you harm anyone in this town! So, come at me!"

"Now, whoever told you I'm after anyone in this town?" Ivy asked. "As I told you before, I'm targeting you, no one else!"

When Masked Swordmaster was flinched, Ivy used her attack once again to stop him. He quickly dodged them and used his sword to cut off her attack. Suddenly, Alli threw the banana peel on the ground, and he got tripped on it that he didn't see that coming. Then, Ivy used her vines to wrap him up and bind him. Masked Swordmaster tried to break lose, but the vines were too strong to break through.

"Good job sneaking up with the banana peel, Alli!" said Ivy, as she praised Alli's approval.

"It's always a pleasure, graaagh!" said Alli. "And the job is yours, Ivy!"

"Very well, I'll send him into another dimension where nobody knows about this, not even Phantom Angel know where that is! And Alli, I'll leave all the guarding to you now!"

"Understood, graaagh!"

After Ivy sent Masked Swordmaster to another dimension, Alli started to walk around the town plaza. She began to grin as her eyes were flashing red.

Meanwhile, Vicki was inside of the Roost to drink her coffee. When she sensed something very troubling, she paid Brewster some bells and left right away. She ran passed Nick and Serenity who happened to stop by at the Roost. She quickly looked around before she could transform into Phantom Angel.

Back at the town plaza, Alli was sitting at the town tree. When someone tapped on her shoulder, she looked over to see who it was, and it was none other than Phantom Angel. Alli tried to run away from her, but the angel stopped the alligator right away by grabbing her arm.

"Stop right there, Alli!" said Phantom Angel. "Just talk to me and answer my question!"

"I have nothing to say to you!" Alli argued. "Just let me go already!"

"Tell me! Who's the boss that brought you here? Because I can tell that you're being brainwashed like the others!"

"I'm not telling you! But you can drag me all you want!"

"What about I'll take you to Booker and Copper instead? So that way, you can tell me everything!"

Meanwhile at another dimension, Ivy's henchmen took Masked Swordmaster, who was tied up to the pole, and put him to the quick sand. While he was struggling to escape, one of her henchmen hammered the pole down and got away from the quick sand right away.

"Well, that is too easy I've got to say!" Ivy laughed. "Once you'll be sinking into the quick sand, you'll be entering to the death zone! And nobody will know that you're here, not even Phantom Angel!"

"You think the quick sand will let me die, huh?" Masked Swordmaster argued, as he clenched his teeth. "I'm afraid it's going to take more than just quick sand, you know!"

"Ha! We'll see about that!"

Back in StarLily, Phantom Angel rushed to the town plaza after she took Alli to Booker and Copper and made her explain everything. When she ran passed Nick and Serenity once again, they decided to follow her as well. As soon as she arrived at the town plaza, she used her new power that she couldn't use before.

"Phantom sonic hearing!" Phantom Angel called, as she placed her hands around her ears and slowly closed her eyes. It took her for a few moments to locate the whereabouts of Masked Swordmaster and the villain. Until suddenly, she heard voices that came out of nowhere. They're not around in StarLily, but they came from somewhere unfamiliar. "Ah, I think I heard them, but the sonic waves led me straight to the town tree?"

"Hey Phantom Angel, what are you going to do?" Nick asked.

Phantom Angel looked at Nick and Serenity and answered, "I'm heading to another dimension..."

"But how on earth are you going to get there?" Serenity asked.

"Well, let's just say...Serena taught me a trick in few weeks ago after Teb was gone forever." Phantom Angel summoned her guardian staff and called out her new, different power. "Phantom teleportation portal!"

After Phantom Angel summoned the portal, she was ready to enter it. Nick and Serenity watched her go through the portal before it disappeared. They hoped that she would return safely from wherever she went just now.

Back to another dimension, Masked Swordmaster was still struggling to get out of the pole and away from the quick sand. Few moments later, something appeared right above Ivy and her henchmen. When they looked up, they saw Phantom Angel falling from the portal. And finally, she landed on them that made Masked Swordmaster chuckled very softly.

"Phew, that went well..." Phantom Angel sighed. "I wasn't expecting that to happen, but I guess that would do!" Suddenly, she spotted Masked Swordmaster who was sinking into the quick sand. "Ah, Masked Swordmaster! I'll get you out of here in no time!"

"Will you get off of me, you clumsy girl?!" Ivy shouted, after she pushed Phantom Angel away from the top of the crowd. "And how on earth did you get into this dimension? I thought nobody would find it!"

"Like, I would tell you that, not! Anyways, let me stop you first! Guardian icy freeze!"

Phantom Angel used her staff to freeze the ground. Not only she stopped Ivy's and her henchmen's feet, but she also stopped the quick sand. Then, she quickly pulled Masked Swordmaster out of there with all her might. She magically enlarged her wings in full power until his feet were out of the quick sand. Finally, she untied him from the pole and summoned the portal to return back to StarLily.

"Oh Ivy, there's something I have to tell you," said Phantom Angel slyly. "Thanks for bringing Alli to StarLily! So, I brought her to Booker and Copper until I'll find a way to bring her back to her normal senses!"

"You did what now?!" Ivy shouted, after she saw the two heroes entered the portal and disappeared. "Hey, get back here! Both of you!"

While Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster left the dimension and went through the portal, she had a chance to ask him a question. "Say, Swordmaster, do you know these villains, like Ivy?" she asked. "Because it looks as though that they knew you..."

"Actually yes, I do know them since last year..." Masked Swordmaster replied, without hesitation.

"L-Last...year?"

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "That's right, whether you'd believe it or not."

Before Phantom Angel could say any more, she and Masked Swordmaster were finally arrived back to StarLily. They both made it in one piece and took a look at the cherry blossom of the town tree. After that, there faces were getting closer to each other and slowly reached their lips. But suddenly, Masked Swordmaster shook his head for a bit as he realized something.

"I think it will have to wait for a bit until the time is right for both of us, don't you agree?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, you're probably right," Phantom Angel agreed. "We may not know each other very much, but we just met three times right now."

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "Yeah, that's true; I'll tell you what. I will tell you a bit more about myself and my past if you will tell me a bit more about yourself and your past. How's that?"

"I'm cool with that. I have no problem to tell you about myself or my past!"

"Then, I believe it's settled! And I should be going right now. So, I'll see you next time!"

After the heroes said farewell to each other and parted ways, Phantom Angel looked at Masked Swordmaster and slowly turned away from him. She felt that her heart was starting to beat as she put her hands on her chest and sighed as her cheeks were slightly red. Masked Swordmaster looked at Phantom Angel from behind and quickly looked straight ahead. He sighed very softly and began to smile while his eyes began to twinkle. They both had a very good thoughts about each other that they would never forget.


	5. When The Clock Strikes Midnight

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 4: When The Clock Strikes Midnight

"Oh come on, sis!" Nick whined. "You've got to tell us of what's going on between you and your knight in shining armor!"

"Yeah, just tell us, Vicki!" said Serenity excitedly.

"Guys, I thought I told you everything," Vicki explained, as she was starting to get irritated. "After I entered the different dimension, I landed on Ivy and saw Masked Swordmaster tied up to the pole. While I froze her and her henchmen, I quickly got him out of the quick sand and saved his life, just like he saved mine."

"Yeah, go on..." said Nick and Serenity in unison.

"Well...After I rescued him, I summoned the portal so we could finally return to StarLily."

"And?"

"And we finally made it back here in one piece!"

"And?!"

Vicki rolled her eyes and said, "Oh god, that's it for now, folks! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to grab something to eat from the hotel!"

After Vicki explained everything and headed to the hotel, Nick and Serenity were standing there like statues. None of them said a word to each other yet. Nick blinked his eyes and made a big sigh while Serenity began to open and close her mouth at the same time as if she was trying to say something.

"T-That can't be it," said Nick. "There has to be more, I'm sure of it!"

"If there is, then I don't think she wants us to know," said Serenity.

"Well, I guess you're right about that, Serenity...Whatever that is, I'm pretty sure Vicki doesn't want us to involve the topic between the both of them."

Meanwhile at the hotel room, Robert was lying on the couch and covered his ears with the cushions. It's because Lorelei wouldn't stop asking questions and gave him a quite of headache. Darren tried to tell her to calm down, but she was very impatient.

"Come on, big brother, just tell us what happened!" said Lorelei excitedly. "You know, the time when you disappeared from StarLily and ended up into a different place?"

Robert sighed heavily. "Lorelei, I thought I already explained it to you! I didn't disappeared, Ivy took me away to another dimension."

"Keep going..." said Lorelei and Darren in unison.

Robert gave them an odd look as he put the cushions away and began to explain. "Ivy's henchmen tied me up and put me into the quick sand. I thought I died for a split second when I was sinking very slowly. Until I saw a bright light from above, Phantom Angel appeared somehow and ended up landing on Ivy and her henchmen."

"Yeah?"

"So, she stopped them by using her ice magic attack, which it also stopped the quick sand as well. Then, she got me out of there right away with all her might. After that, we both returned back to StarLily and left the enemies behind."

"And?!"

"And...that's all there is to it! If you'll excuse me, I'm going to the dining room to grab something to eat."

When Robert left the hotel room, Lorelei and Darren stared at each other dumbfounded. Lorelei bit her lip while Darren rubbed his eyes. He tried to tell her something, but he had no idea of what to say.

"That doesn't make sense at all..." said Lorelei unexcitedly. "I mean, that's it? Nothing else, besides entering and exiting the dimension part?"

"Beats me, Lorelei..." said Darren. "Even if he doesn't want to tell us about something that was going on in his mind, you've got to give your brother a break. No offense..."

Vicki went to the hotel and headed to the dining room. She suddenly spotted Robert who was going downstairs. He quickly saw her waving at him before she went to the dining room.

"Hey Vicki, you're heading to the dining room right now?" Robert asked.

"Hey Robert, I certainly am!" Vicki answered, as she began to smile at him.

Robert smiled back at her. "So, is it okay if I can join you?"

"Of course! Hanging out with you is a big change for me!"

"Really? I would've said the same thing!"

Vicki and Robert were heading to the empty table and sat down side by side. They only ordered some nachos and water for themselves. While they were waiting for their order, they spotted Sammy and Jimmy who were heading to the empty table right next to them.

"Hello, Vicki, Robert..." said Sammy unsurprisingly. "What brings both of you here?"

"Yeah, what brings both of you here?" Jimmy repeated.

"We're here to get something to eat right now, that's all," Vicki answered.

"And what are you two doing here exactly?" Robert asked.

"Grabbing a cookie and hanging out, that's what!" Sammy answered, as he was showing the cookie in front of Vicki and Robert. "Anyways, no time for a chit-chat with you geeks. We're heading to our table right next to you. Come on, Jimmy, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he and Sammy went to their table and sat down.

Vicki and Robert looked away from the twins and glanced at each other. The waiter served them a glass of water to each of them first before serving their nachos. He didn't noticed that the water was dripping from the tray while he was walking to the kitchen. When he came back with the nachos, he suddenly slipped on the spilled water and almost fell. But the nachos, Vicki and Robert ordered, were thrown at Sammy and Jimmy. Everyone, in the dining room, began to laugh, including Vicki and Robert. The Slapjack twins cleaned out their faces with their own hands and glared at the yellow duck.

"Joey, you clumsy duck!" Sammy growled, as he was clutching the collar of the duck's shirt.

Robert quickly stepped in and said, "Whoa there, Sammy! Just chill out, man! It's only an accident!"

"Y-Yeah, what he says, bleeeeeck!" said Joey anxiously.

"Very well then..." Sammy let go of Joey's shirt and turned to Jimmy. "Come on, Jimmy, let's go home right now! All we need now are a bath and some clean clothes!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he and Sammy left the dining room and headed straight to their home.

After the situation of the Slapjacks was out of the way, Joey told Vicki and Robert that he would serve another nachos without any charges. They both agreed, and he went straight to the kitchen once again. Beyond the table, which it was farther away from them, there was a short, black-haired girl with sunglasses. Right next to her, there was a gyroid rabbit. They both looked at each other and began to smile while their eyes were flashing red.

Both the mysterious girl and the rabbit left the hotel right away and went inside of the clock tower. There were four henchmen waiting for them to show up. Suddenly, the mysterious girl revealed her true self with her own magic; and it appeared to be none other than Charlene. Finally, she used her magic mirror to contact Allen.

"Oh, Allen dear, you wouldn't believe who I found!" Charlene exclaimed. "It's that Goldstein guy who's still alive! It's all because Phantom Angel must've saved him somehow!"

"Ugh, it feels like last year all over again..." Allen sighed. "But let us hope that this year won't happen again! I hope you have a better strategy than those three had, my darling."

"Oh, I do have one exactly!" Charlene looked up the bell very high above her and began to smile in a darker way. "And I am very sure that it will never fail!"

After Vicki and Robert were having a good time together at the dining room, Robert went back to his hotel room to get some sleep. Vicki left the hotel and went straight to her house. Before she could go there, she left the cookie to the fountain where Serena was. So that way, Serena could eat the cookie at anytime whenever she's hungry. Vicki never realized that guardians like her could eat anything at anytime. That's what Serena said to her back then. All of the sudden, Vicki heard the shouts somewhere in the town. She began looking around, and then she heard them again. She began to follow of where the shouting was coming from.

In front of the town hall, people were crowding the log bench while Charlene was standing there. Vicki was standing behind the building and wanted to find out of what's going on. Before her very own eyes, she saw Charlene's henchmen tied the gyroid rabbit named Coco to the bench and gagged her. Without any hesitation, Vicki looked around to see if no one's around her before she could transform into Phantom Angel.

"Angelic power action!" Vicki called out her transformation microphone.

Charlene and her henchmen gathered around Coco who was sitting on the log bench. Few moments later, Phantom Angel appeared right in front of them.

"Hey you, how dare you harm the animal like this?!" Phantom Angel shouted. "The only way to treat animals are love and friendly in a gentle way! Otherwise, you're going to pay the high price, missy!"

"Girl, that's easy for you to say!" said Charlene. "By the way, the name's Charlene; and let me guess...You're Phantom Angel, right? Steel Man, Arrowhead, and Ivy told me a bit about you. Well, enough talk! Gentlemen, get rid of her right now!"

Phantom Angel started to fight Charlene's henchmen while Charlene was guarding Coco. The angel started to throw punches and kick bad guys to the ground. She lured one or two henchmen to the tree and knocked them silly. She even lured them to the river by pushing them. After the henchmen were out of the way, Phantom Angel turned to Charlene and was pointing at her with her guardian staff.

"Now, it's your turn, Charlene!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "Surrender now or are you willing to fight against me?"

"Hmmph, I'll let you off the hook this time," said Charlene calmly. "Until then, farewell."

When Charlene and her henchmen were gone, Phantom Angel rushed to Coco and removed the handkerchief from her mouth. Before she untied her, she began to sense something sinister within the rabbit. But instead, she began to talk to her for a bit.

"Um, Coco, are you alright?" Phantom Angel asked. "They didn't try to harm you, did they?"

"Oh no, I'm okay, doyoing!" Coco replied. "Say, why don't you untie me and take me to the Roost for a cup of coffee? What do you say?"

"Err, I don't think I should...I mean, I thought you might be injured or something. Maybe, I can take you to the hospital instead?"

Coco started to look down and found something on the ground. "Oh my! My favorite book! Can you help me pick it up? Why not read it instead?"

When Phantom Angel saw a book on the ground, she picked it up for Coco and sat next to her. She had a sinking feeling that it could be a trap or not, but she has to be careful if the trap was inside of that book. Before she read the book to Coco, she looked at the title of the front cover.

"Hmm, 'Three Bunnies And A Gyroid,'" Phantom Angel read, as she looked at Coco. "Well, how do I say this? This book...I think only the type of villagers, like you would be interested in that story. But I'll just read one chapter of this story and that's it, okay?"

Coco nodded as Phantom Angel began reading the story to her. As soon as she opened the book, the magic dust suddenly appeared. It sprayed in front of her face while Coco looked away from it. Phantom Angel began to cough and quickly moved her face away from the dust, but she suddenly collapsed to the ground and fell asleep. After she passed out, Coco quickly took out the small mirror and contacted Charlene while her eyes were glowing red.

"Earth to witch princess, do you read me, doyoing?" Coco called.

"Yes, my fair bunny slave, I read you!" Charlene replied.

"Guess what? Phantom Angel fell into your trap, doyoing!"

"Splendid! Now, what about Masked Swordmaster?"

"There's no sign of him, Charlene. Probably, he's not showing up for some reason."

Charlene sighed. "Oh well, I guess we'll have to kill off one of those two heroes, which it is fair enough for me. Anyways, I am on my way, over and out!"

After the conversation ended, Coco put the mirror away into her pocket. She was looking at Phantom Angel, who was passed out, and began to snicker while waiting for Charlene and her henchmen to arrive.

Meanwhile at the hotel, Robert was ready to go to bed. He turned off the lights and fell asleep. Suddenly, he began to sense something that was troubling. He got out of the bed right away and looked through the window. He saw Charlene and one of her henchmen carried Phantom Angel to the clock tower, even Coco was following them as well.

At the clock tower, Charlene's henchmen tied Phantom Angel to the bell clapper. As soon as she woke up, she found herself tied up upside-down to the bell clapper. While she was looking around the bell with the shock expression on her face, Charlene began to snicker.

"Ah, time...what a fateful timing this turns out to be, eh?" Charlene chuckled, as she was looking at her henchmen. "Anyways, does anyone know what time it is right now?"

"Oh, five minutes until midnight, Charlene!" one of her henchmen replied, after he was looking at his watch.

Charlene smiled and laughed. "This reminds me of an old, boring fairytale! Wouldn't you say, huh, Phantom Angel? You know, when the clock strikes midnight...Eh, you get the whole idea of the story if you know what I mean! But for you, on the other hand, you'll be hearing nothing but bell rings in your head! More than that, you'll be crush after midnight! And you know the old saying, 'When the bell tolls, it tolls for thee!'"

Charlene and her henchmen left Phantom Angel hanging on the bell clapper. As soon as they were gone, she was struggling to get herself out of the bell before the clock would strike midnight.

While Robert was alone and left the hotel, he heard footsteps coming to his direction. He quickly hid between the buildings and started to hear the conversation. He just heard Charlene talking to Coco that they should be heading on top of the town hall. He also heard her saying when the clock struck midnight, Phantom Angel would be killed off by the bell. As soon as the conversation faded, Robert began to transform into Masked Swordmaster. He looked at the clock tower to see what time it was right now. It was less than four minutes till midnight. He rushed to the clock tower and find a way to stop it in order to save Phantom Angel. Suddenly, he nearly bumped into someone unexpectingly.

"Hey big brother, what are you doing out at night?" Lorelei asked, as she made Masked Swordmaster startled.

Masked Swordmaster turned around and saw Lorelei and Darren dressed as security guards. "What are you two doing here?" he asked, but he suddenly changed his subject. "But that's not important! More importantly, we need to find a way to stop that clock or the bell somehow!"

"Why?" Darren asked.

"Because Charlene is already here, and she strapped Phantom Angel to the bell clapper inside of the clock tower! Plus, we have three minutes to spare before the clock strikes midnight!"

"Then, how do we going to do that in order to save her?" Lorelei asked.

Masked Swordmaster had a brilliant idea. "I got it! I'll use my guardian cannon to tie one of those clock hands and to the lamp post!"

"Good idea, dude!" said Darren.

With three minutes to spare, Masked Swordmaster used his guardian cannon to target one of the clock hands. "Guardian cannon grappling hook!" he shouted, as the cannon blasted off with the hook and bind one of the clock's hands.

"Wow, what a perfect shot!" Lorelei exclaimed, as she recorded the video with her smartphone.

"Alright, Darren, help me tie the rope to the lamp post," said Masked Swordmaster, as he and Darren pulled out the rope and quickly tied to the lamp post very tightly.

Only two minutes left, Masked Swordmaster and Darren tightened the rope to make sure that it's already too tight. He let him and Lorelei pulled the rope as hard as they could so he would save Phantom Angel before it's too late.

With one minute left, the bell clapper began to swing very slowly before it rang. Phantom Angel wasn't expecting that way too soon before the time has come. When Masked Swordmaster entered the clock tower, he rushed to the top and found her tied up to the bell clapper. He quickly set her free by using his sword and caught her just in time.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Phantom Angel replied. "You're just in time to save me, thanks!"

"No problem! But right now, let's get out of here before the bell rings!"

When the clock struck midnight, the bell began to ring. Charlene, Coco, and the henchmen were on top of the town hall. They finally heard the bell chimed that they started to celebrate. Their celebration didn't last long until Coco saw the dynamic duo standing right in front of them.

"Uh, Charlene..." Coco trembled, as she was pointing at the two heroes.

Charlene looked down and wasn't very impressed. "Phantom Angel, I thought that the bell would've killed you by now!" she exclaimed.

Phantom Angel shook her head and grinned at Charlene. "Nope, still in one piece! Thanks to this handsome guy standing right next to me!"

Masked Swordmaster was speechless as he began to blush and gulped at the same time. Charlene frowned as she stuck her tongue out and made a ridiculous sound.

"Oh whatever, I can't imagine that you two have a lot of common these days!" Charlene exclaimed. "But enough talk! Henchmen, attack!"

The heroes sprang into action and fought against Charlene's henchmen. Phantom Angel kicked them to the river while Masked Swordmaster punched them to the trees and knocked them silly. Charlene leapt down from the town hall and made a getaway with Coco following her. But all of the sudden, the rabbit was stopped by Lorelei and Darren. They immediately dragged Coco to Booker and Copper while she was struggling to lose their grips.

After Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster dealt with Charlene's henchemen, they started to go after her. When they saw her standing at the pier, he told Phantom Angel to wait so he could stop the witch princess. He immediately jumped down to the beach and grabbed Charlene's arm right away.

"Charlene, it looks like we meet again!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, clenching his teeth and glared at her in daggers. "But I'm not expecting you to be here after what you and Allen did to me back in Emblem!"

"Oh, do you mean the time when we killed you while your house was on fire?" Charlene pointed out.

"Yes, that's one! But there's another time that you betrayed me and set me up before I realized that you've been working with him all this time!"

"Oh yeah! That's right! How can I ever forget that? But now that you already know, you can let go of me, tough guy! I am so through with you! Shadow aurora pulse!"

As soon as the dark aurora was surrounding Charlene, it suddenly blasted Masked Swordmaster to the rocky hill. While he was knocked down, Phantom Angel stepped in and took out her guardian staff to summon her attack.

"Guardian light orb blaster!" she shouted, as the light orbs blasted Charlene to the ocean, and she got all wet.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that next time, both of you!" Charlene cried, as she suddenly disappeared.

After Charlene was gone, Phantom Angel helped Masked Swordmaster to get up while he regained his consciousness. They didn't noticed that Lorelei quickly took a picture of them before Darren dragged her back to their hotel room. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster walked up to the town, but they suddenly stopped their tracks as they looked at each other for a moment.

"I don't know if I already asked you this, but where did you come from?" Phantom Angel asked. "I mean, what town are you from?"

"I came from the town called Emblem," Masked Swordmaster answered. "But sadly, that town was destroyed by evil forces..."

Phantom Angel gasped after hearing those words from Masked Swordmaster. "Destroyed? Do you mean the same evil forces, like Charlene, we're facing right now in StarLily?"

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "Yes...Sounds terrifying, I know."

Phantom Angel sighed. "It sure is...I wish there's some way I can help."

"Well, if you mean to restore Emblem, then I don't know about that and it's not going to be easy, I'm sure of it. But enough of that, we should part ways right now until we'll meet again. Goodnight..."

"Yeah, goodnight..."

The next morning, Vicki was sitting at the town tree thinking of what Masked Swordmaster said about his town. She bit her thumb and sighed at the same time. She really wished that she could go there, but it was now destroyed according to him. Suddenly, someone sat next to her as she looked to see of who it was.

"Hi Vicki!" Robert smiled.

"Oh, hi Robert!" said Vicki, smiling at him. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. What's up with you?"

"Oh, I was just thinking..."

"Thinking about what?"

"Oh well...um...thinking about something that you don't really want to know."

"Is that personal or...what?"

"Err, well, it's something unusual..."

"Ah, I see. So, do you want to watch the ocean waves for a while with me?"

"Of course, I'd love to!"

Vicki and Robert were watching the ocean waves while sitting at the town tree. They began to smile with each other as they would always remember their time together.


	6. Robert's Unlucky Birthday

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 5: Robert's Unlucky Birthday

At the ship, Allen was watching the ocean view for a while. When he saw a black balloon floating by, he looked at the clown with the frown face. His face was all white, his lips were black, had red eyes, black curly hair, wore a black and white clothing and gray shoes. He approached to the clown to see of what he was doing.

"Mastermind Clown, may I ask what you are doing?" Allen asked.

"Oh ho ho, I was just blowing the balloons and let them float in the air, Master Allen," Mastermind Clown answered. "If only my cousin was here to see them..."

Allen quickly interrupted the clown. "Okay, I know exactly how you feel, Clown! But anyways, I have a mission for you."

At the hotel, Robert was fast asleep on his bed. Until few moments later, Lorelei came to his room and jumped onto his bed. He was wide awake and immediately looked at her in astonishment.

"Lorelei, why did you have to wake me up in the time like this?" Robert asked, as he rubbed his eyes.

"Guess what today it is, big brother?" Lorelei asked happily. "Today is your birthday!"

"What? M-My birthday?" Robert checked the calendar and was very surprised. "Oh my, you're right! Today IS my birthday!"

Lorelei winked at Robert. "Exactly! I already told Vicki and Serenity about it, and Darren told Nick about it after he ran into him!"

"Does anyone set up a big birthday party for me?"

"Vicki says that they're planning to have a party in here, inside of the hotel."

"Well now, I'm curious to see what sort of surprises I will get this year!"

At the Silverwings' house, Vicki was mixing the cake for Robert's birthday. Nick bought a shirt so he could wrap it up for his birthday surprise. After that was done, he went to the kitchen and smelled the cake batter while Vicki was pouring it into the cake pan.

"Vicki, I'm curious, what kind of cake are you making?" Nick asked.

"I'm making a blueberry cake," Vicki answered. "I found the recipe online and decided to try it out."

"That's new! I can't wait to taste it!"

"So do I! Once the cake is done baking, I'm going to add the frosting and some decorations. I'm pretty sure Robert will like it!"

"Oh yeah, he certainly will."

Robert, Lorelei, and Darren left the hotel and headed to the town to see Vicki and the others. Until suddenly, they ran into Sammy and Jimmy who were planning to go to the Nooklings' store.

"Well, well, if it isn't the birthday boy and his geek squad," said Sammy. "What are you all doing right now?"

"Yeah!" said Jimmy.

"We're planning to pay Vicki a visit," Robert answered. "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get through."

As soon as Robert walked away, Sammy grabbed him by his arm. "Um, do you remember the time when we said about the payback back then? Because now is the perfect time for payback!"

Sammy and Jimmy grabbed Robert and flipped him upside-down. They shook off the bells from him until every last bell was dropped to the ground. Lorelei and Darren tried to stop them, but they ignored them and put Robert into the trash can. After the twins took all the bells from him, Lorelei and Darren helped Robert for getting out of the trash can.

"Dude, are you alright?" Darren asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Robert nodded. "I can't believe those idiots took all the bells from me! Sheesh, what a joke!"

"Let's just ignore them and pay Vicki a visit, shall we?" Lorelei pointed out.

When Robert and the others were at the town, they saw Vicki going to Main Street. After she spotted them, she didn't expect them to show up but didn't seemed to mind at all.

"Oh hey guys, what's up?" Vicki asked cheerfully.

"Oh hi Vicki, we were about to visit you," Robert answered. "But it turns out that you're going to the shop, right?"

"Yeah, but it won't be long. I promise you!"

"Well, take your time anyways," said Lorelei. "We're going to walk around the town for a while."

"Yeah, without any problem at all," said Darren.

"Okay, feel free to do that, folks!" said Vicki happily.

Inside of the hotel, Serenity was the party planner in charge. The animal villagers volunteered for blowing up the balloons, setting up the banners, adding the decorations, and even setting up all the tables. When the balloons were ready to decorate after blowing, the colorful clown sheep named Pietro was curious if some balloons were in the right position.

"Um, a little to the right..." Serenity reassured, as Pietro moved the balloons a little more until she stopped him all of the sudden. "That's very good enough, Pietro!"

"Thanks, honk honk!" said Pietro.

Serenity moved on to the banner that the blue cat named Rosie and the pink squirrel named Peanut were working on. They both hung up the banner before they nailed it down. Serenity quickly checked the banner if it's in the good position.

"It looks really perfect, girls!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Thank you, silly!" said Rosie.

"Decorations are the best thing to do, slacker!" said Peanut happily. "But the banner is super awesome if I say so myself!"

Serenity moved on to the tables that the white eagle named Celia was working on. She loved how the eagle set up on each table perfectly. Especially on the main table, which it was on the front side.

"Celia, I really like your style," said Serenity surprisingly. "You are so good at this!"

"Thanks, I usually did that at my house whenever my guests were coming, feathers," said Celia.

At the beach, Mastermind Clown and his henchmen had appeared along with the possessed, mummified dog named Lucky. They snuck up to the town and took a peek to see if someone's present. All of the sudden, Mastermind Clown saw Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were standing on the bridge. He and his henchmen were about to get them until they ran into Sammy and Jimmy who were heading to the beach.

"Why, hello boys!" said Mastermind Clown. "How would you two like to volunteer for becoming the piñatas?"

Sammy and Jimmy didn't say a word, but all they ever did were to scream and point at the evil clown. They were so scared that they ran away from him and his henchmen. Mastermind Clown laughed so hard that he thought that it was too easy for the twins to get scared.

"Well, that'll teach them a lesson that they will never forget!" Mastermind Clown laughed. "Now, onto the mission we go, folks!"

When the Slapjacks' screams continued, Robert looked around to see where they're coming from before they faded. Then, Lorelei and Darren caught his attention all of the sudden.

"Guys, did you hear something?" Robert asked, as Lorelei and Darren shook their heads and shrugged in response. Suddenly, he heard someone laughing which came out of nowhere.

"Well, well, I just heard someone's birthday is today!" Mastermind Clown laughed, as he was standing on top of the tree.

Robert and the others gasped after they saw the clown. "Mastermind Clown, what are you doing in StarLily?!" he asked furiously.

Mastermind Clown blew up his balloon and tied it at the end. "Why, giving you a present from my dear master...Allen Parker!"

Meanwhile, Vicki bought a big birthday present for Robert and brought it to the hotel. Nick set up the birthday cake that Vicki made from scratch and placed it on the main table carefully. As she put the present on the table, she began to sense trouble all of the sudden. Nick and Serenity looked at each other before they looked at Vicki.

"Hey Vicki, what's the matter?" Serenity asked.

"My blood tells me that someone's in trouble!" Vicki replied, as she quickly left the hotel with Nick and Serenity following her.

When Mastermind Clown's balloon got exploded, Robert and the others were trapped in the big net and got tied up. They were struggling to get out of there as they could. Vicki, Nick, and Serenity quickly saw them and noticed that they were in trouble by the evil clown. They hid behind the town hall and came up with the plan.

"Guys, you have to disguise yourselves as the police force and get Lucky to Booker and Copper," Vicki explained. "I will transform into Phantom Angel right now!"

"We're on it, sis!" Nick exclaimed, as he and Serenity went to their houses and got their police costumes ready.

"Angelic power action!" Vicki called, after she took out her transformation mic and began her transformation.

Mastermind Clown took out the bomb from his pocket. He set up the timer to five minutes and gave it to Lucky so he could attached it to Robert and the others. Suddenly, the boomerang hit the clown's head from behind. He began rubbing his head and saw of who was doing it.

"Hey clown freak, if you messed with the birthday boy, you should've messed with me first!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "How dare you ruined his birthday? You, sir, have no right to do that! I am Phantom Angel, the hero of melody and purity! So, it's time for you to pay the highest price!"

"Huh, Phantom Angel...why did that name rings a bell all of the sudden?" Mastermind Clown muttered softly, as he tried to remember something until it struck him. "Oh, that's right! I remembered someone mentioned a bit about you! Do you know anyone named Nightmare Mime?"

Phantom Angel gave an evil clown a disturbing look. "Nightmare Mime? Yeah, I knew that crazy mime since last year. I stopped him from doing something evil in StarLily, and now he's dead. Why? Are you his friend or something?"

Mastermind Clown growled furiously. "You worthless angel, he's my cousin! I will avenge him after what you did to him last year! Henchmen, attack the angel now!"

While Phantom Angel was fighting Mastermind Clown's henchmen, Lucky placed the bomb right in front of Robert. The time bomb was now down to three minutes. Robert was terrified about this that he began to sweat. As soon as Lucky walked away, he was suddenly captured by Nick and Serenity who were dressed as police officers.

"H-Hey, put me down, rrr-owch!" Lucky exclaimed, as he was struggling to get off from the two humans.

Mastermind Clown saw Nick and Serenity, who were dressed as the police officers, took Lucky away from him. He went after them, but he was tripped over by Robert's leg. After Phantom Angel took care of Mastermind Clown's henchmen, she stepped on the clown's back and rescued Robert, Lorelei, and Darren. She quickly untied them, got rid of the net, and planned to get rid of the bomb which it was less than a minute to spare.

"Clown, I will deal with you later!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "Right now, I have a bomb to get rid of!"

When Phantom Angel rushed to get rid of the bomb, Mastermind Clown laughed so hard behind her back. Since Robert was now free, he could finally transformed into Masked Swordmaster.

"Knight power action!" Robert called, after he tapped his wristband and began his transformation.

Masked Swordmaster punched Mastermind Clown's face and began to thrust his sword at him. But the clown took out his balloon right away and it suddenly popped. The knight covered his face with his cape from inhaling the smoke. When the smoke disappeared, Mastermind Clown was gone. Masked Swordmaster looked around to see of where the clown was right now until he spotted him on top of the Roost.

"Hey clown, get down from there!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed. "I've had enough of your foolish games, especially the dangerous ones on my birthday! And you will live to regret this for ruining my birthday!"

"Ha, that is true, white knight," said Mastermind Clown. "But I think you're forgetting something; Phantom Angel has the bomb right now. If she doesn't get rid of it after thirty seconds, she will die instead!"

Masked Swordmaster gasped. "No!"

Mastermind Clown laughed maniacally. "Oh yes! Now if you'll excuse me, I will take my leave once you will save her. But I'm afraid you're too late for that, birthday boy! So, toodles!" Finally, he disappeared into thin air.

Meanwhile, Phantom Angel was at the beach and looking around to find the area in order to eliminate the bomb. With twenty seconds left on the timer, she was starting to get panic before the bomb would explode. Finally, she found a better solution while she was looking at the ocean.

"You know how the old saying goes..." Phantom Angel sighed. "'Some days you just can't get rid of the bomb!'"

Phantom Angel quickly took out her star compact and changed it into a snorkel mask. She put it on right away and dived into the ocean. She swam as fast as she could and pushed away the bomb with less than ten seconds on the timer. Then, she used the boomerang to tap the bomb and activated the explosion. She swam away as fast as she could, but the water sprout pushed her out of the ocean by force.

When Phantom Angel rose up in the air, Masked Swordmaster, Lorelei, and Darren saw her that they rushed to the beach. Nick and Serenity saw the angel rising in the air after they sent Lucky to Booker and Copper. When they saw her falling into the ocean, they quickly checked out to see what's happening. After Phantom Angel fell into the ocean, Masked Swordmaster quickly took out the pen from his pocket and changed it into the snorkel mask. Before he went to the ocean, he turned to Lorelei and Darren for a second.

"You two, go to the hotel right now!" Masked Swordmaster demanded.

"But what about-?" Lorelei asked, but the white knight interrupted her.

"Just do as I say! Don't make me repeat that!"

While Darren dragged Lorelei to the hotel, Masked Swordmaster put the snorkel mask on and dived into the ocean. He swam around and searched for Phantom Angel. Few minutes later, he saw her sinking down not too far and became unconscious. He quickly swam and saved her from drowning. Finally, they rose back up to the surface and swam back to shore.

Ten minutes later, Phantom Angel was finally awaken and coughed out of the water from her mouth. When she saw someone's arms around her, she took a glance at Masked Swordmaster. She was speechless and blushed slightly after he saved her life.

"Are you okay?" he asked in his soft tone.

Phantom Angel nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm alright. It's all thanks to you, I owe you one. I thought I was a dead fish after the bomb got exploded in the ocean."

"Yeah...But if not for the ocean, you would've been a dead duck! And you know how worried I am!" Masked Swordmaster held Phantom Angel very tightly as he grew closer to her.

Phantom Angel flinched that she had never seen Masked Swordmaster acting this way. "Y-You're probably right...If it wasn't for me, then Robert, Lorelei, and Darren would have died. But at least, I saved their lives and chose to risk my own life! I'm not going to let anyone die, not even on his own birthday!"

Masked Swordmaster flinched as he realized that Phantom Angel was right. "Yeah, I see you have a good point there..."

While the two heroes were talking at the beach, Nick and Serenity were hiding behind the bushes. They were spying on them and wanted to know of what they were talking about.

"Aw man, I can't hear of what they are saying!" Nick complained. "If only we can move a little closer, we can finally hear them of what this is all about!"

"Um, I don't think we should, Nick," said Serenity anxiously. "Because I just thought of something...We're supposed to check the hotel to see if the party setup is all done."

"Ah, you're right! But first, we've got to change our clothes before we go there!"

After Nick and Serenity were gone to change back into their normal clothes, Phantom Angel immediately stood up with Masked Swordmaster helping her. She began to wobble a little while she was walking. When she stepped onto one of the seashells, she began to fall. But luckily, he caught her just in time and helped her stood up again.

"You okay?" Masked Swordmaster asked, holding onto her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Phantom Angel answered. All of the sudden, she had realized something. "Hold on a second, we've got to stop Mastermind Clown! Where is he now?"

"He's already gone! I already took care of him while you were trying to get rid of the bomb!"

"And what about Robert and the others?"

"T-They're alright! None of them are hurt!"

"Oh, thank goodness! But anyways, there's something that I had to ask you...Do you know Mastermind Clown had a cousin named Nightmare Mime?"

Masked Swordmaster remembered hearing that not too long ago while he was in his normal version, Robert. "N-No, I didn't know about that. I'm not surprised that Clown had a cousin. But the big question is what about his cousin?"

Phantom Angel sighed as her thoughts about Nightmare Mime began to disturb her, but she couldn't hesitate any longer. "Well, it's a very long story...Clown's cousin, Nightmare Mime was one of Teb's followers who trespassed StarLily last year! And Teb was the evil ringleader and the sorcerer who began to invade StarLily!"

"And what happened exactly to either of them?"

"I stopped them with my full light power and turned them into dust! That way, I would never see either of them ever again!"

"Oh wow, and this must be why Clown wants his revenge so badly..." Masked Swordmaster said in his soft tone to his whisper.

"I'm sorry, what was that you were saying just now?"

Masked Swordmaster was alerted that he cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Um, I think I should be going right now! And thank you for answering my question. So, see you later!"

When Masked Swordmaster left the beach, Phantom Angel blinked her eyes in a curious way. But she immediately shrugged and didn't seemed to mind at all.

In the evening, Vicki went to Main Street and saw Robert standing behind the fence. As soon as she came up to him, he turned around and saw her wearing the cute dress.

"Hey Robert, what are you doing here?" Vicki asked.

"Um...I was waiting for you, of course," Robert replied nervously.

"Oh really? But here I am right now! Shall we go to the hotel and celebrate your birthday right now?"

"With pleasure!"

Vicki and Robert went into the hotel and entered the dining room. When the party was already started, Robert began to blow out the candles after he already made a wish in his mind. Then, he cut the birthday cake and gave each party guest a cake slice, including himself. He took one bite out of it and thought it was delicious.

"So, how do you like the cake, Robert?" Vicki asked. "I made it myself!"

"I think it's fantastic, Vicki!" Robert answered happily. "This is the first time I ever tasted the blueberry cake!"

"So do I! I found the recipe online, and I think it's too good!"

After everyone ate the cake, it's time for Robert to open the presents. He opened the small present first before he opened the big one. Finally, he unwrapped the big present, which it was from Vicki. She got him the hawthorn bonsai, and he was so happy about it.

"Wow, I always wanted a bonsai!" said Robert excitedly. "Thank you, Vicki! This is the best birthday present I ever have!"

"Oh Robert, you're very welcome," said Vicki, as she began to blush. "I'm very glad that you like it!"

Robert chuckled. "Actually, I love it so much!"

Everyone was having a good time on Robert's birthday. As the birthday celebration went on, it was the best birthday party he ever had. Also, this was the time that he would never forget.


	7. Happy Anniversary StarLily

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 6: Happy Anniversary StarLily

It was the perfect day for Isabelle to make the special announcement to everybody. They all gathered around the town plaza, including Robert, Lorelei, and Darren. While they paid their attention to her, Sammy and Jimmy started to make their video. Jimmy was filming with his smartphone and Sammy was the star of their video.

"Alright...'Sammy, The Greatest Twin In Town!'" Jimmy announced, as he was acting like the director of the movie while holding his smartphone before recording his video. "Take five, and...Action!"

"I always enjoyed this beautiful town," said Sammy, as he was becoming an actor of his video.

Suddenly, Jimmy bumped into Isabelle as he turned around while he was recording. She immediately told the Slapjack brothers to get in their positions before making an announcement. Jimmy signaled Sammy to stand and blend in with the crowd.

"That was Isabelle who can't wait for me to stand and blend in with the crowd," Sammy continued. "Not only she's a gorgeous pup, but also the best secretary of StarLily ever!"

After Sammy was blending in with the crowd, Jimmy quickly told him to move either left, right, up, or down to avoid the brightness in his smartphone. As he kept on muttering in his mix up way, his older brother got tripped and fell to the ground. Everybody began to laugh at him; and Jimmy helped Sammy to get up before Isabelle had an announcement to make.

"Attention everybody, thank you all for coming!" Isabelle announced. "Today is an important and special day to all of us! It is StarLily's sixth anniversary, and let's hear the news from Mayor Vicki!"

Everybody gave a cheer and a round of applause. Vicki walked up in front of the crowd and waved at them. As soon as the crowd grew silent, she began to make her speech.

"Hello villagers and travelers, and thank you!" Vicki announced. "With StarLily's sixth anniversary is finally here, I have decided that I will giveaway one hundred thousand bells to one participant who wins the draw. Here's how it works, you must participate the draw by writing your name and your town's name if you're a traveler. Then, you will send it to the town hall, and the deadline will be on next week. Finally, I will select the winner a week after the deadline. That is all for now; and good luck for participating, everybody!"

After Vicki was done with her speech, everybody gave her a big round of applause. Isabelle returned to make an announcement once again.

"Thank you, Mayor Vicki!" said Isabelle, as she was facing back to the crowd. "Well then, it's time to get another event started! Not only the draw, but your video project about StarLily! If you're interested, fee free to sign up at the town hall. Your video can be anything; whether you're walking at the beach, hanging out with your friends and neighbors, or whatever you wish. Whenever you're done filming, you will show it to us in the town hall at anytime until the end of next week. Right after watching your video, we will start rating it either it's good or bad. Does anybody get all of that?"

"Yeah!" the crowd agreed in triumph, as they started to clamor about it.

"Great! And that concludes the announcement, everybody! I wish you a best of luck!"

After the special announcements were over, everybody left the town plaza and returned to do their own things. With Isabelle returned to the town hall, some animals began to participate for the draw and some participated for the video project. Even some could participate for both if they couldn't decide. Since the Slapjack brothers already signed in for the video project, they were just continued filiming.

Serenity was having a tough choice whether she could do the draw, the video project, or both. Nick encouraged her to do both, and she couldn't agree more. Lorelei wanted to participate for the video project and Darren started to agree with her. But Robert decided that he should participate the draw, instead of joining the video project with his sister. Suddenly, he saw Vicki walking towards him and smiled at him.

"Hey Robert, did you catch the special announcements just now?" Vicki asked.

Robert nodded and replied, "Oh yes, I did! I'm thinking I should participate the draw, and Lorelei wants to participate the video project with her boyfriend."

Vicki giggled softly. "Your sister is the paparazzi type, isn't she?"

Robert sighed and rolled his eyes. "You...could say that...again."

"Why? Are you the camera shy type of guy?"

"Well...rarely, but it's hard for me to explain this to be honest."

"Oh no, there's no need for explanation! Even if you're trying to, that's fine with me!"

"Y-Yeah, you're probably right about that!"

"So anyways, do you want to join me to the Roost to get a cup of coffee, Robert?"

"Sure, I will love to!"

While Vicki and Robert were going to the Roost, Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were standing in line to sign up for the video project and turn in the paper for the draw. As soon as they were waiting for their turn, they saw the duo walking to the Roost happily. This made Lorelei's eyes began to sparkle as she took a picture of them. Nick felt so uneasy from the inside that he didn't even know why exactly.

"Wow, look at them go!" Lorelei exclaimed. "I would never imagine that those two are starting to get along together. They may not be lovers yet, but hopefully they will become one soon!"

"Yeah, I'm surprised as ever," said Nick uneasily, as he was pretending that he agreed with Lorelei. But in his mind, he couldn't tell how Vicki felt about Robert right now.

Inside of the Roost, Vicki and Robert were sitting at the table and drank their coffee. Vicki took out something from her pocket, and it appeared to be a bag of cookies. She opened the bag and took one cookie from it before sharing them to Robert.

"Do you want a cookie?" Vicki asked politely.

"Sure, I'd love to!" Robert replied, as he took one cookie from the bag and ate it. "Wow, this is so good!"

"Thank you, I made them myself!"

"Really? I'm very surprised that you're a good baker!"

"Thanks, that is very kind of you."

When Vicki and Robert left the Roost, they saw the waiting line was getting longer than before. They even saw Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were still waiting in line. Robert whistled at the waiting line that he wasn't so sure if he could participate the draw on time before the deadline.

"Look at that line..." said Robert desperately. "I don't know if I can participate the draw with this crowd. I mean if I had to wait in line, then it'll take me until after midnight..."

"Don't worry, Robert, there's still time you know," said Vicki, encouraging him. "You can come back tomorrow to participate if you want. I mean if I were you, I would get there early before the crowd."

"Yeah, I think you're right about that, Vicki! I'll give it a shot by tomorrow! I'll see you later!"

"Yeah, see you!"

At the ship, Allen was looking at the lady who was dressed like a warrior. She had short, dark red hair that matched her eyes. She wore the crimson earrings on her ears and wore the black choker around her neck.

"Did you want to see me, Lord Allen?" she asked in her cold voice.

"Yes, Flare, I want you to go to StarLily and show those heroes some fiery powers of yours!" Allen replied. "This will be StarLily's anniversary gift from me, got it?"

"With pleasure, sir, and I will take Phoebe with me!"

The next morning, Robert woke up and left the hotel so he could participate the draw. As soon as he arrived in town, he only saw two or three animals waiting to participate. When he reached to the front office, he turned in his paper to Isabelle so she could put it into the box along with the other participants' papers.

Meanwhile, Sammy and Jimmy continued their video project as they walked around the river. Sammy took out his net while Jimmy started to record the video with his smartphone.

"'Sammy, The Greatest Twin In Town;' take thirteen..." Jimmy announced. "And...Action!"

"Oh hey, I spy some water bugs in the river!" said Sammy, as he was pointing at the pondskater and was ready to catch it.

Suddenly, Jimmy noticed on his smartphone that the view was too dark. He told Sammy to move a little closer or farther so he could the view in the right way. Until Sammy fell into the river and got all wet, Jimmy goofed off again after he saw his older twin glaring at him.

"Jimmy, get me out of here!" Sammy exclaimed.

Jimmy quickly put down his smartphone and helped his twin brother to get out of the river. When Sammy got slipped down, he dragged his little twin brother to the river. None of them realized was Jimmy's smartphone was still recording the video.

At the gym, Robert yawned and stretched his arms and back at the same time. He lied down on the weight bench and started lifting the barbell up and down. Nick and Darren went to the gym and saw Robert on the weight bench. He suddenly noticed them while he was lifting the barbell.

"Hey guys..." Robert grunted.

"Hey Robert!" said Nick and Darren.

"Did you guys...participate the events already?"

"Yes, we already did..." Nick replied, "after six or seven LONG hours of wait!"

"Yeah, no joke, dude..." Darren agreed. "We've been waiting for a very long time to get our turn until nine or ten at night!"

"Now, THAT'S a very long time alright!" said Robert. "Luckily, I just happened to stop by at the town hall today and the line was very short. I finally participated the draw right away before the longer line begins."

"My curiosity question is who gave you that advice?" Nick asked, as he was starting to get curious.

"Oh, Vicki gave me that advice."

Nick moaned as he placed his hand on his face.

"Well, how come we'd never thought about that?" Darren asked.

"Well, my big question is why didn't she told me about this before?" Nick asked abruptly.

Few hours later, Vicki left the dining room and drank her milkshake. When she walked past the gym, she suddenly heard the cheer that was coming from there. She looked at the window and saw some animals cheering on Robert who was lifting the barbell. She also saw Nick and Darren counting how many times he lifted together. Her eyes were now focus on Robert that she couldn't help but to watch him.

"...47...48...49..." Nick and Darren counted altogether and got really excited at the end. "50!"

"Wow, what a record, moocher!" said T-Bone, the bull.

"I'd say it is!" said Bud, the lion. "It's a new record; and I thought no one could break that record, maaan!"

When everyone gave Robert a cheer and a round of applause, he started to thank them all at once. Then, he noticed Vicki who was standing behind the window and drank the milkshake. He grabbed the towel to wipe off the sweats from his forehead and quickly left the crowd. He was out of the gym and Vicki spotted him while sipping the milkshake until it was gone. She released the straw from her mouth and threw out the empty cup into the trash can.

"Hi Vicki, it's very surprise to see you here," said Robert. "And I want to thank you for your advice from yesterday."

"Oh, no problem at all, Robert," said Vicki happily. "So, you finally participated for the draw in time, right?"

"Yeah, that's right! Hopefully, I will win!"

"I really hope so, too!"

While Vicki and Robert were still talking, Sammy and Jimmy went to the gym. This time, they started to film the scene of working out at the gym. Jimmy started to record the video while Sammy was doing his role.

"'Sammy, The Greatest Twin In Town;' take twenty-seven!" said Jimmy. "And...Action!"

"Now, the gym is where I've been training for!" said Sammy. "Because pump it up is important to me! Oh yeah!"

When Jimmy paused the recording, he walked up to Sammy and said softly, "Sammy...y-you promised me that I can be part of the video..."

"Then, who's going to record the video, idiot?" Suddenly, Sammy saw Bud who was sitting on the bench. So, he asked him nicely, "Hey Bud, can you do us a favor? How would you like to film us doing all the workout?"

"You two, bros, all the workout?" Bud chuckled, as if he thought that it was all the joke.

"Lion dude, just start recording the video, okay?" Sammy took Jimmy's smartphone and gave it to Bud to record the video.

"Boy, this should be fun, maaan..." Bud began to record the video with Jimmy's smartphone.

Meanwhile, Flare, her henchmen, and the fiery ostrich, Phoebe had arrived in StarLily. They looked around the town until they saw the town tree that looked so huge. She took out the torch and used her fire magic to light it up.

"Time to burn this tree down!" Flare exclaimed, as she approached to the town tree and began burning it.

The fire began to spread very fast from the town tree's roots to the branches. When Isabelle saw the town tree was on fire, she began to panic. Then, she spotted Flare and her henchmen at the town plaza.

"Just who on earth are you people?!" Isabelle asked. "And why are you doing this to the town tree?!"

"I'm turning this tree into ashes, little miss doggy!" Flare exclaimed, as she took the portion of the fire from the torch and became a fireball. "You'd better watch out! Otherwise, you'll get burned!"

Isabelle began to scream as she quickly ran back to the town hall. As soon as she closed the door, Flare threw the fireball at the bottom of it. All of the sudden, the tiny fire started to burn at the bottom of the door.

Vicki and Robert left the hotel and decided to go to the town. Suddenly, they saw a huge smoke that was coming from there. Vicki's eyes began to wide with terror and had a bad feeling of what's causing the smoke. Then, she and Robert saw some animals screaming and running away from the smoke, including Lorelei and Serenity.

"Fire, fire!" Lorelei shouted.

"There's a fire going on in the town!" Serenity cried.

"F-Fire, you say?!" said Vicki, as she was in a big shock. "You guys remain here, I'll check it out to see what's happening..."

"Let me come, too," said Robert.

"No! Um...you stay with the others, Robert. I can handle this!"

Once Vicki ran off to see what's going on in StarLily, Robert watched her go until she's gone. So, he quickly grabbed Lorelei and whispered to her ear.

"Lorelei, take Serenity inside of the hotel while I'll go to see of what's happening in StarLily," Robert whispered. "If she's asking of where I was, just tell her that I'm in the Nooklings' store. You got that?"

"Yes, Robert, I got it!" Lorelei whispered back.

When Lorelei took Serenity to the hotel right away, Robert quickly hid between the buildings. As soon as no one saw him, he immediately transformed into Masked Swordmaster.

Vicki rushed to StarLily and saw a fire that was coming from the town tree. Then, she spotted Flare and her henchmen at the town plaza, including Phoebe. She quickly hid behind the bushes and transformed into Phantom Angel.

Flare laughed hysterically as she watched the town tree burned. Suddenly, she got hit by the light beam. Everyone looked around to see of where it's coming from. Then, they saw an angel standing right behind them.

"How dare you, foes, started the fire by the time like this?" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "Now that you ruined this town's sixth anniversary, you're going to pay the highest price!"

"Well, well, look who it is..." said Flare sarcastically, "if it isn't the hero of this town..."

"And don't forget about me, Flare!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he leaped down from the tree and joined Phantom Angel's side. "It's time to put your fire out for good!"

"Well, that's just great...the dynamic duo is finally here. Boys, get them before they put out of the fire."

The heroes charged right through Flare's henchmen and started fighting in order to get out of their way. After they got beaten so easily, Flare was not amused that the fight was too quick for the heroes than she thought. Phantom Angel took out her guardian staff and summoned her attack.

"Guardian bubble whirlpool!" Phantom Angel shouted, as the bubbles were bursting on Flare.

"Great, keep distracting her, Phantom Angel," said Masked Swordmaster. "Allow me to put out the fire!" He took out his guardian cannon and aimed it at the town tree. "Guardian hydro cannon!"

Masked Swordmaster's guardian cannon started bursting out with water and put out the fire from the town tree right away. As soon as the fire was gone, the town tree was safe and still standing. There were a few leaves burnt out, but not all of them though. Flare got all wet after Phantom Angel's bubble attack cooled her down. Suddenly, Phoebe quickly aimed the angel with her slingshot. Phantom Angel quickly turned around and stopped the fiery ostrich.

"Guardian sphere!" Phantom Angel called, as she summoned the sphere to trap Phoebe inside.

"Hey, get me out of here, sparky!" Phoebe yelled, as she banged and kicked the sphere many times. "Not cool at all!"

"Alright, Flare, your plan failed and just give it up already!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

Flare laughed hysterically. "Now, why would I want to do that? Besides, you two may have saved the town tree, but I think you're forgetting something..."

As soon as Flare was pointing at the town hall, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were shocked that they nearly forgot it was also on fire. Suddenly, they heard someone screaming and crying for help. They saw Isabelle, who was trapped inside of the town hall with fire, banging on the window several times.

After Flare disappeared, the heroes rushed to the town hall in order to save Isabelle from the disastrous fire. As soon as Masked Swordmaster opened the door, something struck him all of the sudden. He immediately saw a terrifying flashback that reminded him when he was trapped somewhere in the building with fire. Few seconds later, his flashback has ended as he moved away from the door and shook his head. Phantom Angel looked at him anxiously and was worried about his actions.

"Hey, something the matter?" she asked.

"N-No, everything's okay really..." Masked Swordmaster replied, as he was pretending that nothing's happening to him. "You go ahead and save Isabelle; I'll put out the fire!"

"Um, okay...whatever you say."

While Masked Swordmaster extinguished the fire with his cannon, Phantom Angel rushed inside of the town hall. She shouted Isabelle's name until she found her shielding herself under the desk from the fire. As soon as the dog saw the heroic angel, she crawled from the desk so she could carry her away from the burning building. Phantom Angel quickly used her barrier to protect herself and Isabelle from the blazing fire. Finally, they got escaped from the burning town hall. After Masked Swordmaster got rid of the fire, he immediately went to check on them to make sure if they're okay.

"Are you two alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Phantom Angel replied.

"I'm okay..." Isabelle coughed, after she inhaled the smoke from the fire. Because of that, her clothes and fur were now covered with soot.

"I think we should take Isabelle to the hospital right away," said Masked Swordmaster. "Her condition is not looking so good."

"You're right!" Phantom Angel agreed. "But who's going to take Phoebe to Booker and Copper?"

"I'll bring her there; you go right ahead and take Isabelle to the hospital."

"Sounds like a good plan!"

One hour later, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster saw the town tree and the town hall were ruined because of Flare's fire power. Phantom Angel was walking to the town tree and saw the burned markings on the tree. Masked Swordmaster walked to the town hall and saw some burned areas. He placed his hand on the burned door and touched it. The last time he touched the door during the fire, something that gave him fear. But this time, nothing happened after the fire was extinguished.

"Hey...is this really a good time for me to ask you something?" Phantom Angel asked, as she was standing right behind Masked Swordmaster.

Masked Swordmaster quickly turned around and answered, "Yes, of course! What is it you want to know?"

"Well, how do I put it this way? But...what happened back then? I mean, the time before you extinguished the fire from the town hall."

"Oh that...it's nothing really. I thought I already gave you an answer, didn't I?"

Phantom Angel shook her head. "No, you didn't..."

"I didn't? Oh right, I gave you a different answer when you asked me a different question!"

"Yeah, I think you misheard me."

"Yeah, right. Anyways, about what happened back then...well... N-No, y-you don't really want to know."

"Oh, come on! You can tell me! I can take it!"

Masked Swordmaster sighed heavily. "Okay, fine, but this is between you and me on this topic. Got it?"

Phantom Angel nodded. "Yeah, I got it!"

Masked Swordmaster cleared his throat and began his explanation. "When I reached to the door of the town hall, something showed me that was similar to here. I was trapped in the fire somewhere in Emblem, which I'm sure of it! But I don't remember the place I was in or what I've been doing there for! Because everywhere I saw was fire, nothing else! I don't see any clue of what building I was in. In the end, I was blacked out all of the sudden!"

"That was horrible, you almost died at wherever the place you're in! But hey, at least you're still alive!"

"Yes, I am still. But enough of that, what about you? What's something that terrifies you the most?"

Phantom Angel blinked her eyes. "What terrifies me the most you say? Now that you mentioned it, there's one villain who forced me to kiss him last year. I was so terrified that he's going to give me a poisonous one."

"What a shock! Who on earth would do such a thing to you?"

"I'm pretty sure that you're about to blow your mind, but that villain was Nightmare Mime."

"Mastermind Clown's cousin?!"

Phantom Angel nodded. "That's exactly my point! Kissing by a villain is nothing but a nightmare!"

Masked Swordmaster sighed softly. "Now, you're telling me this..."

"Huh? What's that you say?"

"Um, sorry I really have to go. It's nice talking to you!"

"Yeah, same here..."

One week later, the town hall was finally reconstructed and Isabelle was fully recovered. With the video project was due very soon, everyone showed their videos to Vicki and Isabelle. After they both watched each and every video so far, they gave each group or participant a certain rating. It was Lorelei's turn to show them a video. It was about a group of friends hanging out in StarLily. This video took about ten or fifteen minutes so far. After her video ended, Vicki and Isabelle gave her a good rating.

"Well done, Lorelei, that's a good video you showed us," said Vicki.

"An excellent video, I daresay!" said Isabelle.

"Thank you very much!" said Lorelei, as she sat back down between Robert and Darren.

Isabelle walked up to Sammy since he and Jimmy were the last ones. He was waiting for his little brother to get their video completed before showing it to everyone. Otherwise, he would get disqualified if Jimmy didn't there in time to show off their video.

"Last, but not least, we will be seeing Sammy and Jimmy's video," Isabelle announced, as she was glaring at Sammy.

Before Sammy could say anything, Jimmy arrived just in time to bring their completed video. He passed it on to Isabelle, and she began showing their video to everyone. When Jimmy quickly sat down next to Sammy, his older brother grinned and watched their own video to see how it turned out.

"'I enjoyed this town!'" said Sammy, as he was at the town plaza while the music background was added to the video.

"'Get in the crowd now!'" said Isabelle, with the close-up face.

"'That Isabelle can't stand the crowd.'" Suddenly, the scene was showing Sammy got tripped and fell to the ground.

Everyone, in the town hall, started to laugh after watching this scene. Isabelle glared at Sammy, whose jaws were dropping, and thought he was insulting her in the video. Jimmy started to scratch his head nervously and pinched his lips with his own fingers.

"'Pump it up-grr-is important to me!'" Sammy exclaimed, as he was showing his muscles at the gym.

After that happened, the scene was showing Jimmy on top of Sammy who was doing the butterfly machine. He suddenly jumped down and accidentally knocked his older brother silly. The next scene was showing Jimmy jumping over Sammy from the trampoline, grabbed the stick, and both of them attacked. But they dropped their sticks when Sammy's hand got hurt. He fell to the floor before Jimmy tripped over and fell down. The final scene at the gym was showing Sammy doing the exercise bike while Jimmy was swinging the punching bag like crazy. But that pushed his older brother to the floor when he was spinning it out of control.

"Why you little-?!" Sammy clenched his teeth, as he was glaring at Jimmy and ready to punch him while everybody were still laughing at their video.

"I-I-I just cut that part already..." Jimmy stammered, as he and Sammy were watching the next part of the video.

"'I spy some water bugs in the river!'" said Sammy.

Few seconds later, the clip was showing Sammy fell into the river. Then, there were few clips showing in the montage. First, he fell off the cliff while catching the butterfly. Second, the beehive crashed to the ground and the bees were chasing Sammy and Jimmy. Third, Jimmy fell over the lake while he was filming. Last, the tarantula ran into Sammy's leg and stunned him while he was holding the net.

"'I think I should've used a better net!'" Sammy exclaimed, as he broke his net in half before he fainted.

After the Slapjacks' video ended, everybody were still laughing so hard that they couldn't stop, including Isabelle. Sammy glared at Jimmy and was about to lose his temper. His younger brother started to bite his nails anxiously after seeing their flawless video.

"Oh cameraman, I'm ready to squash you!" Sammy yelled.

"Okay, I can fix it!" said Jimmy in a panic tone. "I can fix it!"

Sammy was outraged and started to chase after Jimmy. Jimmy started to run away from him as if his older brother didn't trust him for fixing the video after seeing their terrible outtakes. Everybody continued to laugh at them after their silly attempts, and this would never end.


	8. Vicki's Unusual Surprise

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 7: Vicki's Unusual Surprise

Robert sat down on the bench while he was watching the ocean waves. He couldn't help but to think about the vision he just saw few weeks ago. He remembered the time that he was trapped in the fire somewhere in the building. But he didn't remember of what he was doing there or what building he was in. It gave him more suffering that it was starting to haunt him. Suddenly, his smartphone rang so he took out from his pocket and answered.

"Hello?" Robert answered the phone.

"Hey Robert, it's Nick!" Nick called. "Just wanted to call you that tomorrow is Vicki's birthday."

"Ah, her birthday is tomorrow?"

"Yeah, dude! We decided to throw her a birthday party at the town plaza. So, if you and the others want to come, be my guest!"

"Hey, I will love to-I mean, we will love to come! I will tell Lorelei and Darren about this!"

"That's awesome, man! So, see you later...lover boy."

"Wait, what's that you say, Nick?"

"Uh...I said see you later, Robert!" Nick quickly hung up his smartphone right away.

After Robert was talking to Nick by the phone, he began to smile and laugh at the same time. He completely forgot about the fire incident that he was now focusing on what to give Vicki for her birthday. So, he went shopping at GracieGrace, which it was on the top floor of the Nooklings' store. He saw some expensive furniture, wallpaper, carpet, clothes, shoes, hats, and others. All of the sudden, he saw Sammy and Jimmy who were obnoxious about the prices of each item.

"Sammy, those prices blew up my mind..." Jimmy complained. "I'm feeling a little dizzy right now."

"You're telling me, Jimmy," said Sammy. "At the beginning, you will see the single number. Until the end, you will see lots of zeroes after that..."

"Why does this floor have to sell in the expensive prices than the other floors that sell in the cheaper prices?"

"Why don't you ask that to 'Miss Graceful' giraffe over there?"

Suddenly, the giraffe named Gracie walked up to the twins and started to glare at them. "You two have a problem with that?!" she asked.

The Slapjack brothers turned around and saw Gracie who was standing right behind them. They both stammered and shook their heads before they quickly left the floor. Robert began to chuckle and shook his head after he saw them gone down the stairs. While he was looking for something, Gracie walked up to him in case if her help was needed.

"May I help you, young man?" Gracie asked.

"Actually, there is," Robert answered. "You see, I need to find something for Vicki's birthday, which it is on tomorrow."

"Ah yes, then I'll show you my recommendation. Just follow me, sir!" Gracie headed to the display, where the dress with the butterfly design was, and presented the dress to Robert. "You see this butterfly dress here? I would suggest that you will give this to her as a birthday gift."

"Alright, so how much is it?"

"It cost you 7,200 bells!"

"Then, I'll take it!"

After Robert paid Gracie for the butterfly dress, he headed back to the hotel room and talked to Lorelei and Darren about Vicki's birthday party. While he was inside of the hotel, there was a shadowy figure appeared between the buildings with the red flashing eyes. All of the sudden, the figure disappeared into the shadows without a trace.

The next morning, Vicki woke up as her big day had finally came. She got out of her bed and changed her clothes. When she was about to go outside, Nick quickly stopped her.

"Morning, sis!" said Nick. "Uh, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to the town hall to reveal the results from the draw," Vicki replied.

"Um, why don't you just stay here for a bit? The results can wait, you know."

"Oh, why do I have to stay here? It's not like I can do this everyday, you know."

"Yeah, I know that. But this time, I'm begging you to wait here until I'll call you, okay?"

"Well okay, have it your way..."

Inside of Serenity's house, Serenity was baking a cake for Vicki's birthday. She was planning to make a chocolate cake from the scratch. When she heard someone knocking on the door, she answered it right away and saw Nick.

"Hey Serenity, how's the cake?" Nick asked.

"It's baking right now, Nick," Serenity replied. "When it's done, it's time to add the frosting and the decorations!"

"And the birthday cake will be completed!"

Serenity nodded as she and Nick started to look at each other and smiled. Their faces were getting closer to each other that they began to kiss on their lips. Few seconds later, their faces moved away from each other that they needed air to breathe and sighed softly.

"Nick, I'm so glad that you chose me," said Serenity. "Because your sister accepted me as her best friend in town."

"Yeah, she sure does!" said Nick smilingly.

Serenity sighed. "Nick, if Vicki and Robert will become lovers soon, what would you think of him?"

Nick sighed heavily as if he had never thought about it. "Hmm, that is a good question...I'd say I would've been proud of him."

At the hotel, Robert was having a hard time for picking a good outfit at Vicki's birthday party. He scratched his head a couple of times which made his hair all messed up. After his several attempts so far, he had finally decided of what to wear. He put his shoes on, grabbed a present, and left his room. While Lorelei and Darren were waiting for him, they stared at him and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Robert asked.

"Um, big brother...y-y-your hair," Lorelei stammered. "I-It's...you know..."

"What about my hair?" Before Robert could say anymore, he looked at the mirror and found out that his hair was a mess. He rushed to his room and combed his hair very quickly. "And I thank you for letting me know!"

Robert, Lorelei, and Darren left the hotel and headed straight to the town plaza. When they arrived, they saw a table full of appetizers, bowl of juice, and the birthday cake. They even saw the balloons tied to the table and the town tree. Nick and Serenity waved at them so they came by and joined them.

"Hey guys, you're finally here!" said Serenity happily.

"Of course we are here!" said Lorelei excitedly, as she was starting to look for Vicki. "But where's Vicki?"

"Oh, I told her to stay in the house for a bit until our preparations are done," Nick replied. "Once we have everything settled, I'll call her to come out soon."

"Sounds like a good plan," said Darren.

"Oh man, I just forgot about something!" said Robert, as he put the present on the table with the other birthday presents. "I'll be right back, you guys!"

As soon as Robert rushed to Main Street, Nick and Serenity were looking at each other in a curious way; and so did Lorelei and Darren. Isabelle brought the box to the town plaza and wiped out her paws.

"Hey Isabelle, is that the box for StarLily's anniversary draw?" Nick asked.

"Yes, it is!" Isabelle answered. "So, I decided to bring it out here and let Mayor Vicki announce the winner while celebrating her birthday!"

"That sounds like a great idea, Isabelle!" said Serenity excitedly.

Suddenly, everyone saw a female warrior with the sword carried in her hand. She was not alone; she was with her henchmen and surprisingly, the ninja rabbit. Nick and Serenity defended Isabelle while Lorelei and Darren moved away as they could. And the rest of the crowd were afraid of the villains.

"Darren, it's Blade!" Lorelei exclaimed. "What could she be doing here?"

"Well, whatever she's planning, it's not a very good sight!" Darren replied.

"Snake, take out the smoke balls and throw them to the crowd!" Blade exclaimed.

"With pleasure, bunyip!" said Snake, as he was starting to throw the smoke balls in front of everyone.

While the smoke balls began to spread with smoke, everyone began to cough. Few seconds later, they collapsed and fell asleep on the ground. Nick quickly sent Vicki the text message before he passed out. As soon as Robert came back from Main Street, he saw the smoke spreading at the town plaza. This could only mean one thing, everyone was in trouble. So, he quickly hid behind the bushes and trees and began his transformation.

Meanwhile, Vicki was inside of her house to draw a picture. When she heard her smartphone rang, she took a quick look at it and received the text message from Nick. As soon as she read his message, she was devastated when StarLily was in trouble. She ran downstairs and began to transform.

Everyone, at the town plaza, was unconscious because of the smoke balls Snake threw at them. Blade was planning to break the box that Isabelle brought to the town plaza until someone threw a hat to stop her. She and her henchmen saw of where the hat was coming from and found out of whose it belonged to.

"Hey Blade, you and your party crashers almost ruined the mayor's birthday party!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he put his hat back on and tipped it. "This is the exactly the main reason why we don't invite enemies, like you, to the party!"

"Well, well, if it isn't Masked Swordmaster, I'm not surprised at all," said Blade.

"And don't forget about me, samurai lady!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, as she flew down to the town plaza and joined Masked Swordmaster's side. "I'm the one and only Phantom Angel! So, you'd better surrender now or else!"

"Okay, like, one hero is really bothersome, but two heroes are super beyond bothersome!" Blade exclaimed, as she was getting irritated. "Men, go crush them now!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster fought Blade's henchmen one by one. They knocked them down by the tree, pushed them to the river, and threw the fruits at them. After the henchmen were out cold, Blade began to leap over the bridge. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster finally had her cornered.

"Now, it's your turn to be defeated, Blade!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, as she took out her star compact and called out her attack. "Heavenly light beam!"

"Samurai sword slash!" Blade shouted, as she quickly drew out her sword to cancel out Phantom Angel's attack. "Sorry, your magic tricks won't work against me!"

"Then, try me instead!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he drew his sword and began to spin it. "Earth sword shaking!"

When Masked Swordmaster tipped his sword to the ground, the shaking part made Blade lost her balance. Phantom Angel slapped her face and pushed her over the bridge to the river. As soon as Blade's head was out of the river, she spitted out the water from her mouth and coughed at the same time.

"Ugh, you two will pay for that next time, and I'll be back!" Blade shouted, as she suddenly disappeared.

"Well, that takes care of her," said Phantom Angel. "Now, let's move on to the small part..."

"Wait, what's the small part?" Masked Swordmaster asked curiously.

Phantom Angel showed Masked Swordmaster of what she meant by that. She was pointing at Snake who was trapped in a hole and could not escaped. They both laughed very softly at the ninja rabbit.

"H-Hey, where did that hole come from, bunyip?" Snake asked. Until he saw two heroes who were standing in front of him, they grabbed him by the arm and took him to the police station. "Hey, p-put me down! Where are you both taking me?!"

After the heroes put Snake behind bars, they left the police station and walked across the bridge. While they were standing there, Phantom Angel was very curious about something.

"Say, Masked Swordmaster, can I ask you something?" Phantom Angel asked. "Even if you can't answer my question, then that's fine with me. But the question is who's the mayor of Emblem?"

"Oh, the mayor of Emblem...?" said Masked Swordmaster in amazement. "T-The mayor of that town is...Robert Goldstein."

"R-Robert Goldstein?" Phantom Angel was surprised that Robert didn't mentioned he was a mayor of Emblem to anyone, not even to her normal version, Vicki.

"Y-Yeah, he was a mayor..."

"Until his town was destroyed by the evil forces? But at least, he's okay after he and the others made it out alive, right?"

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "Yeah, he and the others are alright right now. I did all I could to save Emblem, but I'm afraid it's too late now...I failed to save that town."

"Oh, come on! At least, you saved everyone from that town, correct?"

"Not everyone...Remember I told you about some animals didn't escaped from Emblem in time and ended up becoming the slaves of evil?" Masked Swordmaster sighed heavily and looked down at the river. "I...don't feel so successful anymore. I mean, I was before, but not anymore."

"Oh, don't be such a downer! You may have failed to save your town or anyone else from evil, but that does not make you a failure! Heroes don't fail so easily; all they ever did is to protect the town and everybody from evil. You have got to remember that!"

Masked Swordmaster gasped as he was glancing at Phantom Angel for a moment. "You know, you're absolutely right about that. I just can't give up now; and I'll do anything to protect everybody and the town of StarLily, just like you always did before. Especially, I want to protect you with all cost even if it means my own life!"

Phantom Angel blushed slightly. "Wow, I-I kind of like your style. But anyways, that's a spirit I wanted to see and hear! Now, we're talking!"

Few hours later, everyone got recovered from the knock out gas and started celebrating Vicki's birthday. Robert came to see Vicki and brought her a beautiful flowers. She slowly took the flowers from him and began to smell them while she was blushing.

"Thank you so much, Robert!" said Vicki. "Those flowers are so lovely!"

"You're welcome, and there's one more present I want to give you," said Robert, as he gave one more birthday present to Vicki. "Here you go!"

Vicki took the present from Robert and began to open it. Finally, she was so surprised when she saw a beautiful butterfly dress. "Oh my god, this is too cute! Thank you once again, Robert!"

Suddenly, Isabelle rushed to see Vicki and reminded her about something. "Mayor Vicki, it's time to announce the winner of StarLily's anniversary draw!" she said.

"Oh right, let's do this!" Vicki grabbed everyone's attention by clapping her hands while Isabelle put the box next to her. "I would like to thank everyone for celebrating my birthday! So, now is the time to announce the winner of StarLily's anniversary draw. Let's find out of who will win one hundred thousand bells! Here we go!"

While everyone was so anxious about who the winner might be, Vicki opened the box next to her and began snatching one of the folded papers randomly. Less than two minutes later, she finally took one folded paper from the pile. As soon as she unfolded the paper, she blushed and giggled a little after she found out of who it was. Lorelei and Darren stared at each other in a curious way and so did Nick and Serenity.

"The winner, for one hundred thousand bells, is...Robert Goldstein!" Vicki announced.

Robert was surprised that he won one hundred thousand bells from StarLily's anniversary draw. Everyone gave him a cheer and a round of applause, including Lorelei and Darren. So, Vicki gave him the prize money and Robert was very happy that he actually won. Sammy and Jimmy, on the other hand, were not very happy about this because they never won the draw.

"I can't believe that Goldeneye freak won the prize!" said Sammy.

"But Sammy, I just realized something," said Jimmy. "We didn't entered the anniversary draw, we only entered the video project one..."

"Just shut up, Jimmy! Until next time, we will win that prize money no matter what!"

"Yeah, you're right about that!"

After the announcement about the winner of StarLily's anniversary draw was over, Sammy and Jimmy decided to go home because they were done celebrating for one day. But the rest of the villagers were still celebrating Vicki's birthday until the night sky came to end the party.


	9. What A Common Sense!

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 8: What A Common Sense!

During the night, Vicki fell asleep and started to have a dream. It's the same dream that she had when she first encountered the mysterious person as Phantom Angel. She still couldn't see his face, but they suddenly reached their hands and started holding together. As soon as they touched their hands, Phantom Angel could feel the warmth from his hands. She looked at him with his face concealed in blackness.

"I'm very curious, who are you exactly?" Phantom Angel asked. "Something tells me that you looked awfully...familiar to me. Haven't we met before? Unless, if I'm mistaken for someone else..."

"There are some things I'm ready to tell you," said the familiar voice. "But some things I'm not quite ready yet..."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"You will find out whenever the time is right for us... Farewell."

After Vicki's dream ended, she got up from her bed and looked through her window. Then, she saw her own hand that was touched by a mysterious person and felt it with her own fingers. Suddenly, she heard her smartphone ringing, so she checked it and saw the text message appeared from her screen.

"Oh my, it's from Robert," said Vicki, as she began reading the text message that Robert sent her. "'Meet me at the Roost.' Hmm, I wonder why he wants me there for, but I'm going there right away."

At the Roost, Vicki was waiting for Robert to arrive there while she was drinking her coffee. Few seconds later, Robert finally showed up and saw her waiting for him. He ordered Brewster a cup of coffee before he went to the table and sat next to her.

"Hey Vicki, have you been waiting for me that long?" Robert asked.

"Oh hi Robert, I just got here about a few minutes ago," Vicki answered. "I got your text message before I got here. Do you have a reason for that?"

"I've been thinking about something in a very long time. Well, if you know what I mean..."

"Uh, like...what? For example?"

"Um, how do I put it this way? It's a long story short, but I'll tell you. My sister, Lorelei loves Darren ever since they first met back at Emblem."

Vicki remembered hearing the town, Emblem that Masked Swordmaster explained some disaster events to her while she was Phantom Angel. "Oh, Emblem is your town? Is that where you guys are from?"

Robert nodded. "Yeah, it was before it became a destruction..."

Vicki gasped. "That's horrible! Do you have any clue of how your town was destroyed?"

Robert sighed heavily. "There wasn't a trace of how this would happen..." Suddenly, he quickly changed his subject and smiled at Vicki. "But enough with the tragedy part, let's go back to our main subject!"

"Okay, whatever you say...Anyways, my brother, Nick fell in love with my best friend, Serenity ever since she arrived in StarLily last year. What a coincidence, right?"

Robert chuckled. "You said it! Your brother told me that you haven't found a guy in your life yet, not even you first arrived in this town. Is that true?"

Vicki sighed desperately. "Yeah, every word he said is definitely true. Nick is very lucky that he found true love, but I don't. Lorelei once told me that you had a girlfriend before until she turned you down. Is that right?"

Robert looked down at his coffee and gripped the handle not too hard. "Y-Yeah, that is correct...The girl, I first met, was beautiful and sweet like you. But I feel so blind-sided when she met someone else few months later. Now, I don't feel like talking about it or her. She was very kind at first, but not anymore...because I ended up being used by her; and I don't want to say her name in front of you."

"Okay...so, what are you trying to say exactly?"

"Well...Ever since we first met in few months ago, I'm hoping that...you know... Maybe, you and I will get to know each other a lot. What do you say? Do you want to try? I-It's okay if you don't want to..."

Vicki was surprised to hear of what Robert was trying to say. She quickly nodded her head and answered, "Oh yes, let's do that! Even if we are doing this very slowly, I have no problem at all!"

Robert chuckled and began to smile. "Well, that's great! Starting now, we will get to know each other, whether we both have a lot of common or not."

"I guess we may never know that until later."

"My thoughts exactly, and I totally agree with you!"

Suddenly, Vicki's smartphone began to ring and ended up interrupting the conversation. She picked it up and checked the phone screen. She rolled her eyes when she saw of whose text message was from. She quickly replied the message and sent it back to the sender.

"Sorry, that was Nick who was sending me a text message," said Vicki with the uncomfortable smile.

"Oh, what did he say exactly?" Robert asked.

Before Vicki was about to answer, Robert's smartphone began to ring this time. He checked his phone screen and wasn't too happy when he saw whose text message was from. It took him a minute or two to respond the message before sending it to the sender. Finally, he put his smartphone away after that was taken care of.

"Sorry about that," Robert apologized. "That was Lorelei, she and her crazy ideas these days...I just don't know what to do anymore!"

"What crazy ideas?" Vicki laughed.

"That's hard for me to explain and hard for you to believe that."

"Oh yeah? Well, it's hard for me to tell you about what Nick said to me and hard for you to believe his nonsense!"

Few moments later, Vicki and Robert started to laugh out loud with their good sense of humor. While they were laughing with each other, Sammy and Jimmy entered the Roost and suddenly saw them.

"Well, looks like somebody is having a good time together," said Sammy, as he was interrupting the conversation between Vicki and Robert. "Look, Jimmy, if it isn't Mayor V and Goldeneye!"

"It's Goldstein, Sammy," Robert frowned. "But I suggest that you can call me Robert instead."

"Oh, my bad! But anyways, what are you two up to?"

"Yeah, what are you two up to?" Jimmy repeated.

"Like, you two want to know..." said Vicki. "But that's none of your concern, guys."

"What she said!" Robert agreed.

"Come on, Robert, let's go!"

"I'm with you!" Robert opened the door for Vicki as they were about to leave. Then, he looked at the Slapjack brothers before he left. "See you later, Slappy brothers!"

When Robert closed the door behind him, Sammy and Jimmy turned around for a second and thought they heard him say something. "What did he say?" they asked to each other before they shrugged.

Vicki and Robert were sitting at the town tree together. They both were thinking about their own thoughts. It took them about a couple of minutes until Vicki had an idea.

"Hey Robert, how would you like to come over to my house?" Vicki asked. "I would like someone to accompany me for a change."

"Sure, I will love to come over to your house!" Robert answered. "So, what time will you want me to come?"

"Oh, let's see...what about six o'clock? Are you available on that time?"

"Of course, I'll see you at six then!"

"Alright, see you!"

Later in the afternoon, Vicki started to clean up her house and cook some meals. Nick was sitting on the couch and watching his older sister do all the work. Until she pushed him from the couch, she began pounding the cushions to remove the dust. Nick stood up and looked at her with an odd expression on his face.

"Hey sis, what's the occasion?" Nick asked.

"I'm inviting Robert to my house tonight," Vicki replied, while she was so busy cleaning and cooking. "That way, we can enjoy ourselves together."

Nick started to grin slyly. "Can I join in as well?"

"Don't you have a date with Serenity? Your text message said so!"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I forgot about that! I did mentioned that, but can we join you both as well?"

"Just go somewhere else instead...alone!"

Meanwhile at the hotel, Robert couldn't decide of what to wear. So, he decided that he should wear something causal. He looked at the mirror and thought that he was okay wearing that. Then, he looked at the clock to see what time it was right now.

"It's five thirty right now," said Robert softly. "It is a little early, but I think I should be heading to Vicki's house right now."

As soon as Robert left the hotel room, he nearly bumped into Lorelei and Darren. He was surprised that he wasn't expecting them to show up by the time like this.

"Hey guys, I was just-I'm going to Vicki's house right now," said Robert.

"Oh, can we come, too?" Lorelei asked.

"Um, don't you guys have other plans to do?"

"Yeah, we have-" Darren replied, but his words were cut off by Lorelei's interruption.

"But it can wait after we paid Vicki a visit if you think that's okay with you!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"Just go hang out somewhere else, guys!" said Robert abruptly.

At the ship, Allen was talking to the guy who wore a heavy black armor. He had a silver hair with black highlights and red eyes. He carried the club and tapped it on his shoulder very lightly.

"So Master Allen, you want me to invade StarLily to knock out your foe, am I right?" said the armored-guy.

"That's right, Buster," said Allen. "Once you do, bring him to me. Unless if you see Phantom Angel, don't let her get in your way. She is not our main priority, but you can do whatever you want with her at anytime."

"Yes, sir! I understand, sir!"

Back in StarLily, Robert arrived at Vicki's house just in time. He knocked on the door; and she finally answered.

"Hi Vicki!" said Robert smiling.

"Hey Robert, come on in!" said Vicki, as Robert entered her house and she closed the door behind them. "Do you want to watch the movie? I have some movies that you might be interested."

"Well, what movies do you have?"

Vicki looked at the shelf right below the flat screen TV and searched for the movie that might be interesting. Then, she finally found one and showed it to Robert. She asked, "What about this one? It's called 'Journey To Subspace Emissary.' It's one of my favorite adventure and action movies; and it's about all the fighters, from different places and worlds, were heading to Subspace!"

"Sounds like a very cool movie to me! Because believe it or not, it's also my favorite movie, too!"

Vicki gasped. "Really?!"

Robert nodded. "Yes, really! I've heard there's a sequel coming soon. What was it called? Oh yeah, it's called 'Journey To The World Of Light!' I saw it on the website."

"Oh my god, I'm so excited about the sequel!"

"So do I! I can't wait to see that movie!"

"Before we will watch the movie, do you want something to drink? I have orange juice, apple juice, water..."

"I'll have water, please."

When Vicki was going to get the water for Robert, he looked around the living room and felt so lively. He sat down on the couch and felt so cozy and comfortable. As soon as she got back, she gave a glass of water to him. Then, she set her own cup on the table. After Robert took a sip, he set the glass on the table as well.

"Say Robert, are you hungry?" Vicki asked. "I just cooked beef curry and rice."

"Oh yes, I love beef curry!" Robert answered. "And I love it when it goes with the rice together."

"Ha, I was thinking the same thing!"

After Vicki served the plates of rice and beef curry to herself and Robert, they were watching the movie together on TV. As soon as they were done eating their dinner, she served the fruit salad and placed it on the table. She scooped some fruits onto her plate and Robert scooped some onto his plate as well.

Two hours later, the movie ended and Vicki cleaned up everything from the table. While she was cleaning, Robert stretched his arms and legs for a second. He stood up from the couch and went to the kitchen when he saw Vicki doing the dishes.

"Do you need any help?" Robert asked.

"No, I can do this, but thank you anyways," Vicki answered.

When Vicki was done with the dishes, she sat next to Robert who sat back down in few minutes ago. She looked at the clock to see what time it was right now.

"Oh my, it's getting late, isn't it?" said Vicki excitedly.

"Wow, you know the old saying..." said Robert. "'Time flies when you're enjoying yourself!' But before I go, can I chat with you some more?"

"Sure, I have no problem at all!"

"Alright!" Robert cleared his throat and put his arm around Vicki. He was looking into her eyes and asked her a question. "I know that it doesn't concern to me at all, but what is something that you hate the most?"

Vicki was thinking very hard and answered to Robert's question, even if it didn't concern to him at all. "Oh well, something I hate...huh? Whether you believe it or not, I mostly hate intruders and trespassers who tried to enter the town unnoticeable."

Robert stared at Vicki for a minute before he spoke right up. "You know something, Vicki? I was thinking the same thing!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am!"

"I am so surprised that we have a lot of common!"

Vicki and Robert began to laugh with each other. While they were still laughing, they looked at each other once again before they stopped laughing.

"Vicki, can I tell you one more thing before I can go?" Robert asked.

"Sure, what is it, Robert?" Vicki asked.

"Can you close your eyes for just a moment? And don't ask me why or what for..."

Vicki slowly nodded as she took a deep breath and sighed softly. "Okay, whatever you say..."

When Vicki closed her eyes, Robert looked around the living room to see if nobody's present, not even from outside. So, his face was getting closer to hers and his lips were reaching to her lips. Before he could touch her chin with his fingers, he suddenly heard his smartphone rang. He quickly took it out from his pocket and checked his phone screen. He received the text message and read it, which it turned out to be trouble.

_That doesn't sound too good, Lorelei..._ Robert thought. _But I am on my way!_

As soon as Vicki opened her eyes, she looked at Robert who seemed to be in a hurry. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Uh, nothing's wrong!" Robert replied. "I just remember that I had, um...urgent things to do. Sorry, Vicki, maybe it will wait some other time..."

"Oh, it's okay, Robert! I hope you can take care of that!"

"Yeah, and thanks for everything!"

After Robert left Vicki's house, he ran as fast as he could. He looked around the surroundings to see if no one's here. Finally, he started to transform into Masked Swordmaster.

Back to Vicki's house, Vicki stretched her arms and legs for a second. Suddenly, her smartphone began to ring so she picked it up and checked her phone screen. She got the text message and began reading it. She was shocked that the message turned out to be worst. She quickly put her phone down and transformed into Phantom Angel.

At the Roost, everyone began to scream and ran away at the same time. There was something chaotic going on inside of it. Buster and his henchmen were destroying everything, even the chicken named Knox who joined the evil forces as well. Nick and Serenity were under the table while Lorelei and Darren were under another table to protect themselves from the evil's disaster. Neither of them were able to escape because of the evil's rage. Even Brewster was unable to do something, he only stood there like a statue and started shaking in fear. Until suddenly, someone appeared right in front of them.

"Hey, stop what you're doing!" said the familiar voice, as everyone started to see of who it was.

"Oh great...guess who, folks?" said Buster unenthusiastically, as he saw none other than Masked Swordmaster.

"This place is for only people and animals to enjoy coffee and chit chat, not for destruction and roughhousing!"

"Nick, it's him again!" Serenity whispered. "It's that guy from before..."

"I can see that, Serenity," Nick whispered back.

"Well, look who's talking!" Buster grinned. "If it isn't the hero of strength and intelligence..."

"And don't forget about me, you foolish armored-guy!" said another familiar voice, as everyone turned to see Phantom Angel who was sitting by the window.

"Look, Darren, it's her again!" Lorelei whispered.

"Yeah, what a nick of time!" Darren whispered back.

"Well, doll face, this is the first time I see you," said Buster. "Let me guess...You're Phantom Angel, right? Some of my allies told me a bit about you!"

When Masked Swordmaster heard Phantom Angel's groan in misery, he tried to attract Buster's attention and said, "Ahem! Buster, just leave her alone! You and I have some business to settle!"

"Oh yeah? Do you want to go there, muscle-brained swordsman?!"

"Just bring it on!"

"Um...Attention everyone!" Phantom Angel announced. "Run for your lives! It's not safe to remain here and watch!"

The remaining people and animals were running away from the Roost as they could. Except for Brewster, who was still standing and looking terrified. Phantom Angel quickly ran towards him and shook him for a bit.

"Brewster, you got to get out of here, too!" Phantom Angel whispered. "It's not safe with bad guys in here! You need to leave here right now!"

"Dude, she's right, you know!" Masked Swordmaster whispered. "If I were you, I would get out of here right now! So, hurry and get going, Brewster!"

Suddenly, Buster slammed the counter with his club. Luckily, the heroes dodged his attack, but that made Brewster panicked even more. He began to scream and crash through the wall that made a shape of himself, instead of using the door like his customers usually did. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster wouldn't believe that the pigeon went to the opposite direction.

"Uh...that's pretty rare that Brewster went to the wrong direction," said Phantom Angel. "Because the exit is right behind us..."

"But at least, he got out of here alive," said Masked Swordmaster. "Anyways, we have an enemy to fight!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster fought against Buster's henchmen first. It took them a couple of minutes to knock them down. Once they faced off against Buster, Phantom Angel rushed to the armored-guy and kicked him. Few seconds later, one of her feet was in a big pain, and she began to scream in agony.

"Ow, my foot!" Phantom Angel yelled, as Masked Swordmaster caught her on time before she fell to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Y-Yeah...Does Buster's armor always that hard like a shield or something?"

"As far as I'm concerned, it is as hard as both the rock _and _the metal!"

"WHAT? S-S-SERIOUSLY?!"

While the heroes were talking, Knox took out the slingshot and aimed the lights from the ceiling. As soon as he shot them down, they quickly avoided them before they crashed down on them. Phantom Angel charged right to Buster immediately before Masked Swordmaster tried to stop her. She began to punch Buster's face, but her hand started to ache in few seconds later.

"Ow, my hand!" Phantom Angel cried, as she rubbed her hand very softly. "B-Buster, you're not really human, are you?"

"Unfortunately, he is big-boned!" Masked Swordmaster warned her. "Like Steel Man, Buster is a very tough opponent! Not even your magic attacks will stop him or slow him down a little."

"You...really think so?"

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "Yes...But let me take care of him, and you can take care of Knox."

"Are you sure you can fight him alone?"

"Yes, I've done this many times before I came here. So, don't worry about me, okay?"

When Phantom Angel agreed of what Masked Swordmaster said, she saw Knox hiding behind the table. She quickly tried to catch him while he was trying to avoid her. Finally, she caught him by his wing and dragged him to Booker and Copper.

"H-Hey, let go of my wing, clucking!" Knox argued, while he was struggling to loosen Phantom Angel's grip.

Inside of the Roost, Masked Swordmaster threw Buster and his henchmen out of there after they were defeated. Once they were outside, Masked Swordmaster used his sword to fight off against Buster's club. Both weapons were clashing one and another. The armored-guy swung his club at the swordsman, but he quickly dodged it. Finally, he used his sword technique to focus his power.

"Sword wind slash!" Masked Swordmaster called, as he thrust his sword and began slashing with wind power.

Suddenly, Buster's club was scratched off by Masked Swordmaster's attack. Not only that, but the wind slash attack was cutting off some of his hair. Buster was freaked out and furious that he lost the battle to the young heroic swordsman.

"You will pay for that next time, foolish boy!" Buster shouted, as he and his henchmen disappeared into thin air.

Masked Swordmaster put his sword away and saw Phantom Angel who returned from the police station. She was very glad that he could handle it on his own.

"That is amazing, Masked Swordmaster!" said Phantom Angel cheerfully. "How did you do it?"

"Well, it's not that easy, to be honest," Masked Swordmaster replied. "It took me a lot of focus to harness my new power."

"Your new power?"

"Exactly! That's something I haven't use last year."

"Ah, I see! But it's incredible though!"

"Yeah...But anyways, I think I should be going now. I'll see you later next time!"

Phantom Angel nodded as she saw Masked Swordmaster going until he was gone. She sighed softly as if she was beginning to have a connection with him. Until few moments later, someone was calling out her name.

"Phantom Angel!" It was Serena who rushed from the fountain to see her chosen hero.

"Serena, what are you doing here?" Phantom Angel asked surprisingly, as she hugged her guardian dog and looked around to see if nobody's around.

"Nick and Serenity told me of what's going on right now! They also told me that there's another hero who helped you fight the new evil! Am I right?"

"Yes, that's right! We already got rid of them! It's all thanks to my handsome and good-looking ally!"

Serena was surprised to hear of what Phantom Angel was saying. "W-Wait, what?! I'm sorry, I must've missed out the whole current events between you and your ally! Since when did you two first met? And where was I this whole time?!"

While Phantom Angel tried to answer one of Serena's questions, none of them realized that there were two figures were on top of the town hall. Behind the hidden roof of the town hall, they were identified as Masked Swordmaster and Neon who was on his left shoulder. They were watching their counterparts having a conversation, but they had no idea of what they were talking about.

"Lorelei and Darren told me about what happened at the Roost," said Neon. "So, I came to see of what's going on, but it looks like you and your ally had already taken care of that."

"Yes, we stopped Buster and his henchmen from doing something chaotic in the Roost," said Masked Swordmaster. "But what I'm worried about right now, Neon, is Allen's madness will not only cause this town's in trouble, but in danger as well..."

"I know..." Neon was eyeing on Serena all of the sudden while talking to Masked Swordmaster. "I wish there is a way to stop his madness and set some animals free from his control!"

Masked Swordmaster was looking at Phantom Angel with his sparkling eyes, instead of looking at Neon. "I know, I was thinking the same thing..."


	10. Return Of Phantom Angel's Performance

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 9: Return Of Phantom Angel's Performance

In the morning, Robert woke up as he finally got out of his bed. Then, he saw the golden rose that he picked up from Emblem before he and the others escaped. He sighed heavily and started to change his clothes. As soon as he came to the dining room, he saw Lorelei and Darren at one of the tables. He joined them and started to eat his breakfast.

"Morning, guys!" said Robert. "Sorry if I overslept..."

"It's nine o'clock right now, Robert," said Lorelei, "you didn't overslept."

"Oh, right. I forgot to check of what time it is right now!"

"Is everything alright, dude?" Darren asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Robert answered. "It's just that I was having a rare dream all of the sudden."

"What dream?" Lorelei asked. "And what is it like?"

Robert scoffed. "Oh, you think I'm going to be crazy if I told you about it..."

"Just tell us, Robert!" Darren demanded.

Robert sighed heavily and began to explain his dream to Lorelei and Darren. "Well, you see...When I was at the town plaza, which it was very similar to StarLily, I thought I heard someone singing so I turned around to see who it was. There, I saw an angel sitting at the town tree and singing in her soft tune. I couldn't see her face because the darkness concealed her from revealing of who she is. Although, that figure looks quite...No, that can't be..."

After Robert explained everything to Lorelei and Darren, they both glanced at each other in a confused way. Then, they looked back at Robert dumbfounded; and he suddenly laughed as if he was joking around.

"Sorry, I knew this is hard to believe to both of you!" said Robert jokingly. "But anyways, I've got to go!"

After Robert left the dining room, Lorelei and Darren exchanged glances at each other. Neither of them had any idea of what he was talking about. So, they both shrugged and finished up their breakfast.

Meanwhile at Silverwings' house, Nick was practicing the drums and Serenity was practicing the electric guitar. While Vicki was writing the song lyrics, all she could hear was the horrible, loud off-key music from them. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door, which it turned out to be a loud one. As soon as Nick and Serenity stopped playing, Vicki opened the door and saw Sammy and Jimmy who were very cranky.

"Hey Silverwing, keep the noise down already!" Sammy complained. "We're trying to get some sleep here!"

"Yeah, keep the racket down already!" Jimmy agreed.

Vicki immediately slammed the door in front of the twins without saying a word to either of them. Then, she looked at the clock to see what time it was right now. "Like, it's already 11 o'clock right now," she said. "How can those two oversleep by the time like this?"

"Beats me, sis," said Nick. "Besides, Serenity and I need to take a break. We've been practicing for almost two hours now."

"Yeah, you need to take a break, too, Vicki," said Serenity. "You tried your best to write the song lyrics, but it turns out that it's not going so well...Am I right?"

Vicki sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right...Let's grab a bite to eat. What do you say?"

"I'm in!" Nick answered.

"Same here!" Serenity agreed.

At the ship, Charlene was walking pass by every compartment after compartment. Until she saw the tiny lights moving around in one of the compartments, she saw the lady who had yellow and black short hair and red eyes. She was playing the electronic keyboard while she was humming in rhythm. When Charlene was listening to the music until the end, she began to applaud the rockstar for her performance.

"Good show, Elly!" Charlene exclaimed. "I didn't know you have it in you."

"Oh my, do you think so?" Elly asked. "It's all I can do so far."

"Well, I'd figure as much. Say, how would you like to save your performance for StarLily?"

"Hmm, I don't think it's a bad idea..." Elly started to look up at her disco ball for a split second. "Perhaps, my performance needs a shimmering one...but less light, more darkness!"

Back in StarLily, there was the white dog named KK who was eating his lunch in the dining room. Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were surprised that he was here. Lorelei took out her smartphone and took a picture of him. Robert began to clear his throat as he pushed Lorelei aside and went to see him.

"Hey KK, what a coincidence to see you here!" said Robert excitedly.

"Hey there, hep cat!" said KK. "What a surprise to see my fans! Are you planning to stop by at Club LOL tonight?"

"You bet we will!" Lorelei answered happily.

"Cool! Then, I'll see you all later! Right now, I have to set up my turntable at Club LOL."

"Alright, see you later, KK!" everyone exclaimed.

After KK left the dining room, Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were very amazed to see him. They sat down at the empty table and ordered their lunch. While they were waiting, Robert felt bad for Lorelei and Darren that he owed them an apology.

"Hey guys, sorry about what happened this morning..." Robert apologized. "I don't know what I was thinking from the start, but let's just forget about it. Shall we?"

"Um, it's really okay, Robert," said Darren.

"Yeah, there's no need for you to apologize, big brother," said Lorelei.

"Well, if you say so..." said Robert, as he quickly changed his subject. "But anyways, has any one of you seen Vicki yet when I was gone?"

Lorelei and Darren looked at each other and shook their heads at Robert as their response. He sighed as he felt very disappointed until someone gave him an answer.

"Yeah, she's in her house with her band geeks," said the familiar voice. Everyone turned around and saw Sammy, who answered Robert's question, and Jimmy.

Robert scoffed. "I'm sorry? 'Band geeks?'"

"You know whom I'm talking about, Goldfish!"

"It's Goldstein!"

"That's what my brother said!" Jimmy laughed, while Robert shook his head in disapproval.

"Anyways, I don't know what the mayor and her amateur band were up to, but they're making a horrible racket!" Sammy exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's very rare of them to play the music first thing in the morning!" Jimmy complained.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we will take our leave! So, see you all later, geeks!"

After Sammy and Jimmy left, Robert and the others shook their heads and sighed at the same time. Few moments later, Robert began to grin after what he heard from the Slapjack brothers. Finally, he had a brilliant idea.

"Hmm, I think I should stop by at Vicki's house soon," said Robert.

"So, can we come, too?" Lorelei asked.

"Yeah, sure thing...But don't do something crazy, alright?"

"Since when did I do something crazy, big brother?"

"You will know what I mean!"

In the afternoon, Robert, Lorelei, and Darren had arrived at Vicki's house. They suddenly heard a noise that was coming from the inside. Robert knocked on the door while Lorelei and Darren covered their ears. As soon as the door opened, Vicki saw the visitors after she told Nick and Serenity to stop playing the music.

"Oh hi Robert, Lorelei, and Darren!" said Vicki surprisingly. "Come right in, all of you!"

"Oh hey guys!" said Nick and Serenity, as they put their instruments aside when Robert and the others entered the house.

"Hey everyone!" said Robert, Lorelei, and Darren.

"So, what are you guys doing?" Lorelei asked.

"Oh, we were just practicing the music," Serenity answered.

"All day?" Darren asked.

"Yeah, all day..." Nick replied. "Our musical skills turned out to be worst as far as you can tell..."

"I think that's what Sammy and Jimmy told us about it," said Robert.

"Well, did they say anything else besides that?" Vicki asked abruptly.

"No, this is the only topic they discussed about..."

Lorelei noticed Vicki's notebook on the table. She wanted to take a peek at it, but the mayor quickly snatched it and held on to it.

"Uh, don't want to be mean, but you don't really want to look at it," said Vicki politely.

"Then, what did you wrote there?" Lorelei asked curiously.

"Well, you see, she wrote the song-" Nick answered, but he got interrupted by Vicki who hit him with her notebook.

"Err, there were so many errors that I made!" Vicki explained. "So, that's why I can't allow anyone to see my notebook! Ha ha!"

"Okay, I understand that..." said Lorelei nervously.

"Yeah...but anyways, we ran into KK today at the hotel," said Robert.

"Wow, really?!" said Vicki excitedly.

"Yes, really!"

"Oh, lucky you..." said Nick unsurprisingly, as Vicki stepped on his foot really hard and gave him a quite of pain.

"Um, we're planning to go to Club LOL tonight," said Robert, "so, do you guys want to come?"

Before Nick could say anything, Vicki covered his mouth and answered, "Oh yes, we will love to come!"

"Then, we'll see you all there!"

"Oh yeah, see you!"

After Robert and the others left, Nick grabbed Vicki's arm and pulled away from his mouth. He could finally breathe again and glared at his older sister.

"Sheesh, Vicki, what was that for?" Nick asked.

"Dude, you almost spoiled everything," Vicki answered.

"Oh, come on! It's not like I'm going to spill the beans in front of them! Not knowing your secret identity, of course!"

"Well, the only ones who knew my secret identity are you, Serenity, and Katrina! Nobody else, got it?"

"Yeah, you got a good point there, Vicki," said Serenity. "Besides, you're the hero of melody and purity after all."

"Exactly! So right now, let me rewrite my song lyrics; and you guys can continue practicing the music properly!"

Nick sighed heavily. "Oh, here we go again..."

At Club LOL, the axolotl named Dr. Shrunk was done cleaning up the stage. While he was starting to clean the dance floor, KK had arrived and was about to check his turntable. Suddenly, someone knocked him unconscious from behind as Dr. Shrunk turned around and quickly checked on him. When he tried to wake KK up, someone knocked him down, too. After the two animals were out cold, Elly and her henchmen stepped onto the stage. Especially, the purple squirrel named Static who carried the disco ball. Elly looked around the club and began to whistle.

"What a perfect place for our setup!" said Elly, as she turned to the two unconscious animals. "But first, we need to tie those two up so neither of them will interfere! And as for the disco ball, Static, attach it to the ceiling as you can."

"Yes, Elly, I will do that, krzzt!" Static replied in obedience.

While Elly's henchmen tied Dr. Shrunk and KK behind the stage, Static climbed up with the disco ball and attached it to the chain securely. As soon as it was secured, Elly gave it a thumbs up and grinned evilly.

In the evening, Club LOL was now opened for business. Everyone entered the club, including Robert, Lorelei, and Darren. When they were inside, they noticed that KK wasn't on stage and the music was in play automatically. Robert had a strange feeling that something's not right. Then, he spotted Dr. Shrunk who was guarding by the door.

"Hey Dr. Shrunk, where's KK?" Robert asked.

"KK? Oh, he's not feeling well right now..." Dr. Shrunk replied in a cold manner.

"I see...But thank you anyways."

After the small talk with Dr. Shrunk, Robert walked back to Lorelei and Darren. He told them to wait here so he could do something in a moment. First, he bent down and crawled through the crowd. Then, he reached to the stage, snuck up behind it, and checked to see if no one's around. He immediately took out his pen, which it was no ordinary one but magical, and raised it up high.

"Go, magical pen, disguise myself as a DJ!" Robert called, as his pen changed his normal outfit to his DJ appearance. "Well, I haven't use the disguise for a while now, have I?"

While everyone was still dancing, Sammy and Jimmy appeared and started to dance in a disco way. Lorelei and Darren spotted them and watched them dancing in a very awkward way. Few seconds later, someone took over the DJ's turntable and started to play with the records. Lorelei and Darren saw who it was, and it was Robert who disguised himself as DJ.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" Robert announced. "Are you ready to rock?"

"Yeah!" the crowd roared with excitement, as they started to applaud.

"Then, let the music begin!"

Robert started to play the hip-hop music at the turntable. Everybody began to dance, including Lorelei and Darren. Behind the crowd, Dr. Shrunk tapped one of his buttons from his vest and started to communicate with someone.

"Elly, we have a situation here!" Dr. Shrunk called, as his voice sounded different. It's not really his voice, it was Static's voice.

While Robert was playing around with the turntable, everyone was still dancing with the music. Until the lady with the short, yellow hair pushed him away, the crowd began to gasp and stop dancing. She laid out her electronic keyboard and snapped her fingers as the disco ball suddenly appeared from the ceiling. Then, she started to play the music while the disco ball flashed and started to spin. Everyone was amazed by her talent that they started to dance, including Sammy and Jimmy. But Lorelei and Darren were not dancing because they knew that something's not right here.

When the musician hit the high note at the end, the crowd began to freeze and the light of their eyes disappeared. Not even a single animal or human made a move at all. Robert was finally recovered after he was pushed down from the stage. He noticed that everyone, in the club, was hypnotized, especially Lorelei and Darren. He also noticed that the musician revealed her true identity, and she turned out to be Elly. When Dr. Shrunk came to the stage, she revealed his real identity, and it was Static all along. Plus, her henchmen showed up on stage so Robert quietly snuck up to the backstage and quickly transformed.

Elly looked at the crowd and began to whistle. As soon as she started to play the music, someone stepped in and stood behind her on stage. Elly, Static, and her henchmen turned around to see who it was.

"I'm afraid your showtime is over, Elly!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed. "Just get off the stage since nobody appreciates your talent!"

"Oh, who asked you to go on stage, you foolish swordsman?" Elly asked, as she was starting to get pissed off and turned to her henchmen. "Boys, it's time to throw this guy out of the club!"

Masked Swordmaster fought Elly's henchmen as fast as he could. He punched their faces and threw them off the stage. After that, he looked up to the disco ball that hypnotized everyone at the club and was planning to destroy it. But Elly shoved him with her electric powers and knocked him off the stage. Then, she began to play with her electronic keyboard with the stronger and higher tone. As the sound wave appeared, Masked Swordmaster screamed in pain and covered his ears as he could from listening to Elly's music. Few seconds later, the light of his eyes disappeared after he opened them and became immobilized.

Meanwhile, Vicki, Nick, and Serenity had arrived at Club LOL. When they heard the strange music, Vicki began to sense evil and trouble inside of the club. She quickly stopped Nick and Serenity from going inside.

"Hey, what's wrong, sis?" Nick asked.

"There's an evil presence inside of the club," Vicki answered. "But that's not all, someone's in trouble already! Just allow me to take care of that first; and you two, change your outfits and wear your headphones right now!"

"But why do we have to do that?" Serenity asked.

"Don't ask questions! Just do as I say!"

After Nick and Serenity went to their houses to change their outfits, Vicki looked around to see if no one's around before she could transform.

Back in Club LOL, Elly's henchmen grabbed Masked Swordmaster by the arms after he was immobilized by her music. Until they heard the door swung open, they saw an angel standing before them.

"Hey freakshows, I don't know what you did to the crowd, but I'm going to stop you no matter what!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "The name's Phantom Angel; and I'm here to pulverize you!"

"Phantom Angel, this is the first time we meet," Elly chuckled. "The name's Elly, I'm the rockstar of thunder and lightning. But guess what? The crowd wasn't the only ones who got hypnotized by my music!"

Phantom Angel gasped when she saw Masked Swordmaster who was also hypnotized as well. "Oh no, Masked Swordmaster! Elly, what have you done to him?!"

"As I said before, he was enchanted by my music like the others!" Finally, Elly ordered her henchmen to attack Phantom Angel.

Phantom Angel started to attack Elly's henchmen with all her might. She gave them a punch, a kick, and even threw a chair at them. After they were knocked down, she grabbed Static's tail while he was trying to getaway. She put him in the flour sack and hung him for a moment before sending him to the police station. Finally, she was facing off against Elly.

"Showtime's over, Elly!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, as she took out her microphone and called out her attack. "Angelic microphone echo!"

Elly screamed in pain and covered her ears as her electronic keyboard was demolished. Phantom Angel's attack also cracked the disco ball a little. The rockstar used her lightning attack at the angel, but she quickly dodged it. Then, she used her new attack at the villain.

"Angelic musical vibration!" Phantom Angel called, as the magical music notes pained Elly's ears and threw her out of the stage. The disco ball cracked a little more before it exploded.

"Oh, you and your music these days!" Elly exclaimed. "But I'll be back next time!"

After Elly and her henchmen disappeared, Nick and Serenity arrived with their headphones and gothic costumes on. Phantom Angel dragged Masked Swordmaster behind the stage and told him that she would save him and the crowd no matter what. She immediately untied KK and Dr. Shrunk who were still unconscious. When Nick and Serenity quickly setup their musical instruments on stage, they were all ready to start the performance. Phantom Angel took out her microphone and went on stage, but she didn't notice that Masked Swordmaster's eyelids were moving a bit.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Phantom Angel asked.

"We're ready whenever you are, Phantom Angel!" Nick answered in triumph.

"Then, let's do this and cure everyone back to their normal state!"

Nick and Serenity agreed and nodded at each other as they started to play the music. Serenity played the electric guitar in the rhythm; and Nick played the drums in the upbeat after he twirled his drumsticks. Suddenly, the disco ball begun to crack like a egg when their music has a good tune. Phantom Angel began to sing in front of the hypnotized crowd with her strong feeling. As soon as she sang in the higher note, Elly's disco ball exploded and was now destroyed. The crowd was finally awakened by Phantom Angel's healing song. While she was still singing in front of the crowd, Masked Swordmaster was awakened and fully recovered from Elly's cursed music. KK and Dr. Shrunk were also awakened and didn't know what happened exactly.

Masked Swordmaster peeked behind the stage and saw Phantom Angel singing while the crowd was cheering and dancing. After her song was finished, everyone gave her a round of applause. He was very impressed by her performance that he wanted to give her a golden rose and went on stage. When everyone stopped applauding, they saw the knight entering the stage. Phantom Angel saw Masked Swordmaster who came back to his senses as they both glanced at each other. Everyone began to glance at the two heroes, including Nick and Serenity, and saw the swordsman giving the angel the golden rose. The crowd began to clamor while they saw the duo on stage.

"Lorelei, did your brother got that rose from Emblem?" Darren whispered.

"Yeah, it looks that way before we escaped," Lorelei whispered back, while she was recording the video with her phone. "But I'm very curious though, why would he give the golden rose to her? I mean, for what occasion?"

"Sammy, who's that guy?" Jimmy asked.

Sammy shrugged and answered, "I don't know, Jimmy. Probably, her boyfriend I guess?"

After the heroes listened to all the commotion, they looked at the crowd in bewilderment. Nick and Serenity, who were still dressed in their gothic outfits, started to put away the instruments and quickly left the stage. Nick spied at the heroes in a suspicious way, but Serenity grabbed his ear as they hurried left the backstage without the heroes noticing them. Finally, Phantom Angel saw KK recovering and walking up to the stage.

"Um, t-thank you everyone for watching the special performance tonight!" Phantom Angel announced. "And here's DJ KK, everyone!"

Phantom Angel quickly dragged Masked Swordmaster out of the stage and left the club. Instead of applauding DJ KK, the crowd began to feel disappointed about the heroes that some of them placed their hands and paws on their faces, and some began to roll their eyes that they began to groan and shrug at the same time. DJ KK wouldn't care about that while Dr. Shrunk sighed heavily that he quickly setup the DJ turntable. As soon as DJ KK started up the music, everyone began to dance. Nick and Serenity entered the club in their normal outfits as they saw Lorelei and Darren.

"Hey guys!" said Nick happily.

"Hey Nick, Serenity!" said Darren excitedly.

"So, did we miss anything?" Serenity asked.

"Yeah, there is one thing you guys missed," Lorelei answered. "Phantom Angel was here to perform her song in here, at Club LOL! I got everything recorded on my phone!"

"Oh really?" Nick grinned, as he winked at Serenity. "Oh, I wonder where she is right now...after her performance!"

"Well, now that you mentioned it, she ran off with my-erm-Masked Swordmaster somewhere."

"Oh, so that's the guy's name I see!" Sammy interrupted, as the four people glanced at the twins. "The guy who we first saw on stage, right?"

Darren nodded. "Yeah, Sammy, that's him alright."

"And he is now Phantom Angel's ally," Serenity added, as Nick rolled his eyes and groaned softly.

"Here we thought he's her boy-oh!" Jimmy grunted, as he got interrupted by Sammy who pulled down his hat and almost covered his face. Everyone started to stare at each other strangely.

At Main Street, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were watching the moonlight together. She held on to the golden rose that he gave her and smelled it. Then, she looked at him with her glimmering eyes.

"It smells the same as ever, like the other roses," said Phantom Angel softly. "But it never withers because it is very unique, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Masked Swordmaster answered gently. "Unlike any other roses or flowers, the golden rose never dies...as if it was immortal."

"I thought about it the same thing...Anyways, you got this from your former town, right?"

"Yes, I took it safely; and I'm planning to give it to you now!"

"Oh, r-really now?" Phantom Angel blushed slightly, as she was looking at the golden rose and looking back at Masked Swordmaster.

"Yes, really. After I saw your performance for the first time back at Club LOL, I think you deserve it. So, when did you start doing that?"

"It's a long story short, but I'll tell you. Last year, I started singing after one of Teb's followers, Siren crashed into Club LOL. She nearly killed Dr. Shrunk in front of the crowd, including KK on stage and ruined the show."

"Oh my god, that's really horrifying...But hey, at least you saved the show after you killed off this Siren person, right?"

Phantom Angel nodded. "Exactly! After she's gone, I began to sing at the club. Now, you know that singing is one of my duties!"

"Yeah, that's really good to know! And thank you for answering my question."

When the heroes were still watching the moonlight, Neon was on top of the hotel watching them. On the opposite side, Serena was floating in midair and was staring down at them. None of the heroes noticed that they were being watched by their own guardians.


	11. Redd's Shooting Gallery

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 10: Redd's Shooting Gallery

Every Sunday of August, Redd the fox was setting up the booth for the Fireworks Show. Isabelle got everything prepared for the fireworks tonight. When she saw the fox setting up something new for his booth, she checked it out to see what it was.

"Hey Redd, what's with the setup?" Isabelle asked.

"Setting up the new minigame," Redd answered.

"Sweet, what new minigame is this?"

"It's the shooting gallery. Allow me to explain it to you. You shoot the target with the toy gun; and inside of the toy gun, there were pellets. If you shoot the middle of the target perfectly, you actually won the game!"

"Ah, that makes sense! I'm pretty sure someone will love to try it! It sounds really fun!"

"Of course it is fun, Isabelle!"

While Isabelle and Redd were still preparing for the Fireworks Show, the shadowy animal appeared behind the town tree and began to flee. The kangaroo went behind the town hall and explained the situation to the spy navigator.

"Good job, Walt," said Lewis. "Now, let's get on to the plan, shall we?"

Robert left the hotel and wanted some fresh air that he'd never felt so better in his life. He was starting to enjoy it as he could and looked at the ocean waves. Lorelei and Darren saw him outside that they decided to join him.

"Hey big brother!" said Lorelei. "You're looking happy today! So, what's up?"

"Hey Lorelei, Darren, I'm starting to feel better all of the sudden!" said Robert in triumph. "I don't know how exactly, but it feels as though that my senses are coming back to me!"

"Really, dude?" Darren asked in amazement. "Then, what about Neon?"

"I'm also feel a bit better right now," Neon replied, as he appeared right in front of Robert and the others. "It feels as though my powers are getting stronger again, but in seventy-five percent!"

"Yeah, that is pretty close to one hundred percent..." said Lorelei. "I'm not really sure of how it happened, but you guys will be back in full power in no time!"

"That's exactly my thought," said Robert softly. "And thank you so much, you guys..."

At the Silverwings' house, Vicki was looking at the golden rose that Masked Swordmaster gave her when she was Phantom Angel. She was fixing up her hair and put the rose inside of the box very gently without ruining it. As soon as she closed the box, she put it aside and went downstairs. She took something from the kitchen, dust off her shorts, and put her sandals on before she left her house.

Vicki walked to the fountain and sat down for a while. She took out the small container and placed four or five bites of cheesecake on the small clean plate. When Serena appeared all of the sudden, she took one of the bites and ate it. Vicki ate the remaining cheesecake bites from her container and felt very glad.

"My, my, someone's in the good mood today," said Serena, while she was taking a bite out of her cheesecake.

"Hmm? Oh Serena, I'm always in the good mood," said Vicki.

"Yeah? But it looks a lot like more than just normal to me. I mean, the 'normal' good mood..."

"Oh, but what do you mean by 'more than just normal'?"

"What she means is there is something happening in your mind lately!" said Nick, as Vicki and Serena looked at him and Serenity.

"Oh hi, Nick, Serenity, what's up?" Vicki asked innocently.

"We were just passing by," Serenity answered.

"Well, not just that, but we seriously want to know about you-know-who!" Nick added, while Serenity was glancing at him arrogantly.

Vicki chuckled nervously whether or not she was ready to tell the others a bit info about Masked Swordmaster. Because there was something she could tell them, but something that she could not. Now, she was beginning to lose her mind when they were staring at her in attempt moment.

In the evening, Redd's booth was almost done before the Fireworks Show begun. With the finishing touch, his booth was now ready to open. As he entered behind the curtain, he has everything ready like prizes and toy guns were already filled with pellets. Suddenly, someone knocked him down from behind, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

The Fireworks Show began at seven in the evening as always, but only on every Sunday in August. Everybody, in town, watched the fireworks in the sky and began to cheer in excitement. Robert, Lorelei, and Darren went to the town and saw the fireworks. As they went to the town plaza, they saw some booths like snacks, souvenirs, and minigames. When Robert paid attention to one of the booths, he was looking at the shooting gallery game that Redd was setting up in the morning. He immediately watched the two players, Filbert the squirrel and Lopez the deer, as they were shooting the target and none of them had a perfect shot.

"Aw, that's too bad, boys!" said Redd in disappointment. "But better luck next time!"

"Oh, I want the prize so badly, but I don't have enough bells for another try, bucko," Filbert cried.

"Well, there's always another try next time, buckaroo," Lopez sighed, as he and Filbert walked away from the shooting gallery.

After the two animals left, Redd immediately saw Robert standing there and looking at the game. While he was eyeing on him, Robert glanced at the fox and started to sense evil within. He quickly walked away from the minigame booth and went somewhere else. Few minutes later, he almost bumped into Vicki, and they started to stare at each other with their glimmering eyes.

"Oh hey, Vicki!" said Robert surprisingly.

"Oh hi, Robert!" said Vicki. "What's the rush?"

"Oh, I was just...um...forgot something and left it in my hotel room. I'll be right back!"

"Y-Yeah, okay..."

After Robert ran off, Vicki went to Redd's booth and saw the new minigame. When she was looking at the fox, she thought that something's not right about him. So, she kept on walking pass the booth and quickly hid behind the town tree.

Redd looked around to see if there's no customers in sight. So, he quickly hid behind the curtain and changed into a different form. It was Lewis who disguised himself as Redd all along. His henchmen gathered around as he formed a plan while Walt was keeping an eye on the real Redd, who was tied up this whole time.

When Vicki started to sense evil within one of the booths, she quickly looked around to see if no one's around. She kept on moving really fast and went behind the town hall. She took out her transformation mic and transformed into Phantom Angel.

Phantom Angel flew up on top of the town hall. She was investigating the town plaza if there's any trouble in sight. While she was on the lookout, someone tapped her on the shoulder. It gave her a surprise when she turned around and saw who it was. It was none other than Masked Swordmaster.

"Where on earth did you come from?" Phantom Angel asked. "And how did you get up here?"

"I may not able to fly, like you," Masked Swordmaster explained. "But I have a few tricks up in my boots."

"Your boots? Do you mean your sleeves?"

"Uh no...I literally said boots." Masked Swordmaster tapped his boot heels to show Phantom Angel of what he really meant by that. "You see, I have a few boot tricks that you'll never know yet."

"Oh, I understand now! I just never realized that your boots have some abilities!"

"Exactly, but enough of that. Should we get into that booth right now?"

"Are you talking about the minigame one that Redd just set up in the morning?"

"Yes, that is exactly my thought! Let's get in there!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster jumped down to the ground. As the duo went to the town plaza, some of the animal villagers were excited to see them and others wouldn't believe their eyes. Everyone clamored in excitement that the heroes didn't seem to mind at all. They were focusing on Redd's booth that they went in and checked it out. While they were inside, they looked around to see if anyone's there. Few moments later, they heard someone made a loud muffle and the thumping noise. It came from the crate box so they quickly opened it and found Redd got all tied up.

"Oh my god, it's Redd!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"Let's get him out of there and set him free!" said Masked Swordmaster. "I wonder who could've done him like that!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster quickly got Redd out of the crate. Before they could untie him, something fell from above and knocked them down. After the heroes were lying on the ground and were out cold, Lewis, Walt, and the henchmen appeared before them. Redd was struggling and muffling so loud that he was helpless.

"Wow, they sure fell for it!" the first henchmen laughed.

"Now, what are we going to do with them, Lewis?" the second henchmen asked.

"Ah, that is a good question, hmm..." Lewis replied, as he was starting to think until he found the solution. "Oh, I know! You guys can hang those two behind the curtain." Then, he turned to the kangaroo. "And Walt, I want you to remove those pellets from the toy guns and put the two deadly bullets. One in each of them, got it?"

"Got you cover, pockets!" Walt cackled, as Lewis gave the small bag of bullets to him so he could put one bullet in each toy gun.

Thirty minutes later, Sammy and Jimmy were at the snack booth. They each bought the cotton candy and spun them around, but Jimmy had lesser than his older brother because he ate almost all of it. Then, they spotted the minigame booth that Redd was in charge. So, they checked it out and decided that they wanted to try it out.

"Oh Crazy Redd, we wanted to play the shooting game please," said Sammy.

"Yeah, we wanted to try it out if you may," said Jimmy.

"Err, boys...no offense, but you're not highly experts of shooting," said Redd, who appeared to be Lewis in disguise.

Sammy frowned. "What do you mean we're not highly experts?"

"Yeah, I thought all players from different levels won't matter in this game!" Jimmy complained.

"Well boys, we're setting up the new rules right now; and I'm afraid that I cannot help you!" Redd argued. Until he spotted Nick and Darren who happened to walk pass by, he chuckled and grinned evilly as he begun to call them. "Hey, you two fine boys! Come on over here and play a game! What do you say?"

After Nick and Darren heard Redd's calling, they looked around to see if he's referring to somebody else. Although, there's no mistake to that when they were looking at each other in confusion.

"Who? Us?" Nick and Darren asked in unison, as they were pointing to themselves.

"Them?!" Sammy and Jimmy asked, as they were pointing at Nick and Darren with their eyes wide-opened.

"Yes, you two, with the great eye contact and intuition!" said Lewis, as he still sounded like Redd while talking to Nick and Darren. "So, why don't you two play a game, and I'll give each of you a prize if you just shoot the target perfectly? What do you say?"

Nick and Darren started to look at each other for a moment. Then, they decided that they should try the shooting gallery game. So, they paid some bells to Redd, and he gave each of them the toy gun. Sammy and Jimmy were so furious that they crossed their arms and glared at Redd.

"Hey fox man, what about us?" Sammy asked. "We got here first before those two nerds showed up!"

"Yeah, we just got here five minutes ago and wanted to try the game, too!" Jimmy complained.

The Slapjack twins and Redd were starting to argue at each other while Nick and Darren were staring at them dumbfounded. What everyone didn't know was there were two heroes, who were unconscious, hanging up behind the curtain and the two targets. None of the duo were awakened yet while there was a commotion going on in front of the booth.

While the argument was still on, Nick and Darren were waiting for Redd so he could watch them shoot the targets. After the fox told the Slapjack brothers to leave the booth, he told the players to go right ahead. When they were ready to shoot, Redd glared at them in amazement and began to grin evilly. But before they began to shoot, Nick started to speak with Darren.

"Hey Darren, can we make a deal on something?" Nick asked.

"What kind of deal, Nick?" Darren asked.

"Well, the deal is if one of us shoot the perfect target, then the winner gets five hundred bells from the loser. How's that?"

"Hmm, that doesn't sound like a bad idea to me, and it's a deal, Nick!"

"Great, boys, now let's start the shooting, shall we?" said Redd unenthusiastically.

Nick and Darren apologized to Redd for the small chat they're having. So, they were ready to aim the target before they would shoot. But Darren lowered the toy gun and talked to Nick for a second.

"Wait a minute, Nick..." said Darren. "Can we bet one thousand bells, instead of five hundred?"

"Well, okay, I'm not going to complain about it though," Nick answered.

"Okay, boys, can we get on with the shooting part already?!" Redd asked impatiently, as he was starting to raise his voice in front of the players.

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were finally awakened after hearing all of the shouts. They quickly placed their feet on the curtain where the targets were placed. Nick and Darren started to shoot the targets, and they both fell to the ground all of the sudden. Redd began to laugh joyfully while the two players stood up on their feet. They looked at their targets and both of them had a perfect shots.

"Unbelievable, it's a tie!" said Nick surprisingly.

"You're right, we both have the perfect shots!" Darren exclaimed.

"Well, congratulations to both of you!" said Redd happily, as he passed out the fortune cookies to each one of the players. "As I promised, here are the prizes!"

Behind the curtain, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were still alive. It's all because of their soles and heels were bullet-proofed, they blocked the shots in order to protect themselves. Neither of them had spoken a word since Lewis's henchmen placed the duct tape over their mouths. Masked Swordmaster revealed his pen in one of this hands and changed it into a jack knife to cut the ropes.

After Redd handed out the prizes to Nick and Darren, he looked around to see if nobody's there. The henchmen appeared right before him so he could change back to his true form, Lewis. The spy navigator snickered happily as he and his henchmen went behind the curtain. But when they got there, the two heroes had disappeared into thin air. All the enemies saw were the ropes hanging around very slowly.

"W-What's this?" Lewis asked shockingly. "Where did the dynamic duo go? They should've been shot right now that they hardly escaped!"

Suddenly, one of the henchmen walked very clumsily that he rubbed his back and told Lewis about the report. "One of them slugged me when I wasn't looking!" he explained. "But there's more, they ran off with Walt; and that crazy fox hit my back so hard with his stick many times now..."

As soon as the henchman fainted, the other henchman caught him in time before he collapsed to the ground. Lewis was pissed off that he had to come up with another plan. Until he saw Redd with the stick, the fox began to shout at them furiously that he started to hit them. As soon as he got them out of the booth, everybody, in town, were in shock, especially Isabelle.

"Redd, what's going on?" Isabelle asked in confusion. "And who are these people?"

"Those people are the criminals and villains!" Redd explained, while he was still hitting the bad guys with the stick. "One of them tried to impersonate me when I was tied up in the crate box! Then, his evil scheme is to let the 'expert' players shot down the two heroes with deadly bullets that were inside of the toy guns!"

"What?" the crowd murmured, as some of them were confused and some were very frightened.

"If the heroes hadn't set me free, then I would've been stuck in the crate box forever!"

"Why, you little sly fox!" Lewis growled, as he immediately grabbed the stick that Redd was holding. "Just tell me how they survived the gunshots! Hmm?!"

"Hey, just leave that business fox alone, you punk!" said the familiar voice. Everybody turned their attention, including the villains', to Phantom Angel who spoke up just now. "You, sir, have no right to mess with the animal's business!"

"That's right!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, while standing next to Phantom Angel side by side. "Not only that, but you ruined the Fireworks Show for everybody in town!"

"Phantom Angel, Masked Swordmaster, you're finally here!" said Redd happily. "Now, get rid of those bad guys and save StarLily for everybody's sake!"

"We will do it, Redd!" said Phantom Angel. "And as for the rest of you, just run for your lives now!"

While the two heroes were fighting against the villains, people and animals began to run and scream at the same time. Lorelei started to record the video with her smartphone while she was standing behind the tree with Darren. Nick and Serenity went inside of the Roost as they looked through the window to watch the fighting scene. Redd tried to pull Isabelle by the arm to avoid danger while they were running.

After the duo beat up the henchmen, they're ready to face off against Lewis who was the only one still standing. He took out the needles from his sleeves and began throwing at them. Masked Swordmaster took out his sword to cut them down as his counterattack. Then, Phantom Angel released her light orbs attack at Lewis, and he got slammed to the town tree after he got the direct hit. He collapsed to the ground before he quickly stood up in few seconds later.

"Tougher as usual, I see," said Lewis. "But I won't go easy on you next time, you twosome heroes!" Finally, he disappeared into thin air.

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster got rid of the evil once again. Isabelle quickly rushed to them and wanted to give them an interview. She took out her pen and her small notebook from her pocket and began asking some questions.

"Um, excuse me...is it okay if I can ask either of you some questions?" Isabelle asked, as the duo gave her a nod in response. "Great! Now let me see, here's the first question..."

While Isabelle was asking the heroes, Lorelei and Darren moved a little closer from one tree to another. She quickly took a picture of them before she could start recording the video with her smartphone. Nick and Serenity left the Roost and watched Isabelle interviewing with the heroes.

"Can you imagine Isabelle becoming the reporter to those two heroes?" Nick asked.

"Be quiet, Nick, I can't hear them," said Serenity sternly, as she elbowed her boyfriend.

The interview didn't take too long for the heroes after Isabelle was done asking them some questions. So, they're ready to take their leave and give their thanks to Isabelle. While the fireworks continued to blast off at the night sky, they were on top of the building at Main Street. Masked Swordmaster slowly touched Phantom Angel's hand before they're starting to hold hands in few seconds later.

"Say, Masked Swordmaster, this is kind of random, but do you have a dream?" Phantom Angel asked.

"A-A dream?" Masked Swordmaster trembled, with hesitation. "W-Well, how do I put this? I-It's hard for me to answer this really..."

"U-Unfortunately, never mind that. That's very silly of me for asking you this! Unless if you're planning to ask me that question, then it's very hard for you to believe when I tell you about my dream..."

"Oh, um...okay."

"But anyways, do you have any fans in your former town?"

Masked Swordmaster sighed in despair. "Well, I hate to tell you this, but I don't have any fans like you have right now..."

Phantom Angel was shock to hear Masked Swordmaster's sad response. "A-Are you serious? Not even one?"

"Just only two or three, but not that many..."

"Oh, I see. But I don't think two or three fans are that bad at all..."

While the duo were having a conversation, they didn't even notice that the psychic panther named Katrina was watching them. Her eyes began to glimmer like the stars in the sky. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled while closing her eyes.

_Soon the time will tell when the two heroes will combine their powers,_ Katrina thought. _The new power will be born and awaken within their_ _dreams..._


	12. Duo Of Justice Confirmed!

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 11: Duo Of Justice Confirmed!

On the sunny day, Vicki was lying on the hammock, thinking about what happened back during the Fireworks Show. It was the time when Isabelle interviewed her, as Phantom Angel, and Masked Swordmaster, she asked him of where he was coming from. He responded to her that he came from the town called Emblem. But as the crowd grew silent, they were either confused or didn't know of where that town was. They began mentioning it to one and another; and their only response was they'd never heard or visited that town before. Even Isabelle and Redd didn't know about Emblem as well, their reactions were nothing but lost in thought as if they didn't remember everything about this town at all.

"I just don't get it at all..." Vicki mumbled, recalling her flashback. "How could anyone never heard of Emblem? Not even a single visit to that town? Oh, this is starting to get so mysterious..."

"What's so mysterious?" asked the familiar voice. Vicki quickly shifted her head and looked up to see Serenity.

"Oh hi, Serenity, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Hey wait a minute, you didn't answer my question!"

"Oh sorry, what was the question again?"

Serenity sighed heavily. "The question is what's so mysterious?"

"Oh that! Well, do you remember when you and Nick were there to listen to the whole interview with Isabelle?"

"Oh yeah, I remembered that! So, what about it?"

"Then, I'll ask you this...Do you recall the town called Emblem? Because that's where Masked Swordmaster was from; and Robert was the mayor of that town as well. He told me about it a while ago."

"What? Seriously? I didn't know about that! But sorry, I don't really recall that town and never been there before. Sorry again if I couldn't be more helpful..."

Vicki was still lying down on the hammock and looking at the blue sky while she was sighing in desperation. When Serenity heard footsteps approaching, she saw Nick with the newspaper. His expression turned out to be sulky as he began placing it on his sister's face while she was daydreaming.

"Nick, what did you do that for?" Vicki asked, as she pulled the newspaper away from her face and glared at her brother.

"Just read the headline, sis!" said Nick, as he was pointing out the front of the newspaper.

Vicki took a look at the front newspaper. She was shocked that there's a picture of the two heroes staring at each other face to face. Their faces were getting closer as they were about to kiss each other, but not quite yet. Then, she looked at the headline right above the picture.

"'Two Heroes Are Better Than One!'" Vicki read the headline, as she was starting to read the article before turning the next page. Her face was turning red all of the sudden and got off the hammock after reading the newspaper for a bit. "Well, I'll be taking my leave right now! So, see you later, folks!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Nick exclaimed, as Vicki was running really fast and pretending that she didn't hear him at all. "Where do you think you're going? You owe us some explanation here!"

Meanwhile, Robert was at the dining room, eating his cheesecake. When he saw Lorelei and Darren looking at the newspaper, they were murmuring about it and went to his table. He was starting to get curious of what this was all about.

"Hey guys, what are you reading?" Robert asked.

"We're reading the newspaper, silly," Lorelei answered.

Robert frowned. "I can see that, but what I really mean is what headline are you guys reading?"

"Oh that...well, this may blow your mind, but..." Darren stammered, as Robert took the newspaper away from Lorelei and saw it for himself.

"W-W-What is this I don't even...?" Robert's jaws began to drop and his face began to flush after seeing the picture in the front newspaper. "W-W-Where's this picture coming from?!"

"Hey, don't look at me, big brother!" Lorelei exclaimed. "You should thank Isabelle, she deserves a credit!"

"So, you're saying that the picture and the headline belong to Isabelle?"

Darren nodded. "Yes, that's what it says on the newspaper if you didn't catch it though..."

Robert moaned as he covered his face with the newspaper after his face was turning red all over. Few moments later, Sammy and Jimmy entered the dining room while carrying the newspaper. They were pissed off that everyone began to laugh at them. Especially, Lorelei and Darren who tried to hide their laughter from the twins. They began to approach Robert and the others and glared at them.

"Hey nerds, did you happen to read the back of the newspaper?" Sammy asked, as Lorelei and Darren nodded at him. But Robert has a different response.

"Not me, what about it, Sammy?" said Robert.

Sammy quickly took the newspaper from Jimmy and showed it to Robert. "Here it is! See? The one that says, 'Caption This Picture Of The Week.' Someone took a picture of us facing the food on our plates!"

"Yeah, they should've taken a picture of us looking perfect!" Jimmy argued. "But instead, they used this embarrassing picture of us for laughs!"

Robert chuckled before he burst out into laughter. "Well, guys...I don't see what the problem is...but get used to it already! Ha ha ha!"

"Then, laugh all you want, you geeks!" Sammy exclaimed. "We're out of here!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he and Sammy left the dining room.

Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were still laughing at the picture of Sammy and Jimmy covering the food on their plates. As soon as they lost their breath, Robert was clutching the newspaper and clearing his throat.

"I think I should hang on to this by now," said Robert. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at the hotel room."

When Robert went to his hotel room, Lorelei and Darren glanced at each other and shrugged. Then, she saw the leftover cheesecake that Robert left behind. So, she quickly snatched the plate and took a bite out of the cheesecake. She smiled daintily while she was chewing it.

At the ship, Lewis gave the newspaper, he snatched from StarLily, to Allen. As soon as he unfolded it, he saw the picture of the two heroes on the front page. One was the masked angel and another was the masked knight. Allen was so annoyed by seeing this picture that his face was turning pale all of the sudden.

"Well, if you asked me, I knew they looked adorable together," said Charlene.

"Yeah, as if they have the same common as always," said Lewis.

Allen glared at Charlene and Lewis and frowned in order to keep their mouths shut. He cleared his throat and quickly turned the page. What he saw on the next page was about the new exhibit in the museum. According to the headline, it would be available next month. Suddenly, Arrowhead appeared and told him the news.

"Master Allen, we're getting closer to the town!" said Arrowhead.

"Are we really now?" Allen asked, as he put the newspaper down.

"Yes, sir! I believe we arrived at the town called StarLily!"

"My, my, it looks like we arrived at the perfect destination!"

Back in StarLily, Vicki read the whole article from the main headline of the newspaper. When she read the last paragraph, there's something that was disturbing her thoughts. Which it could only mean one thing...

"Oh dear, the name of the team...?" Vicki whimpered. "That's something I'd never realized...and it's a very hard part as well. If Masked Swordmaster is wise, then what do we call ourselves?"

Meanwhile at the hotel room, Robert was done reading the main story of the main headline newspaper. As soon as he saw the last paragraph, he scratched his head and began to moan. He lied down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"The team's name, huh?" Robert sighed. "How can I ever forget that? Hmm...what do we call ourselves? If only Phantom Angel has any ideas, then I would love to hear them."

In the evening, there was the train conductor monkey named Porter who was in charge of the train station. When the train arrived, the passengers were off the train and the others were aboard. After the train departed, he noticed that there's a shadow figure right before him. He turned around and started to screech before someone knocked him down.

Robert left the hotel room and decided to go to the town. In few minutes later, he heard someone singing in the soft tune. He began looking around to see who it was, but there's no one in sight. Suddenly, he saw Vicki who was heading to Main Street.

"Oh hi, Vicki!" said Robert. "Did you hear someone singing in few seconds ago?"

"Oh hey, Robert," said Vicki. "No, I haven't heard anyone singing at all."

"Oh really? Then, it must've been my imagination... But anyways, did you see the front page of the newspaper?"

"Oh yes, I did! And I'm guessing you already saw that one, too, right?"

Robert chuckled. "Of course! It's pretty amazing if I do say so myself!"

"I totally agree with you!"

All of the sudden, Vicki and Robert began to sense something evil as they were looking at the train station at the same time. Then, they looked back at each other and came up with an excuse.

"Uh, I just remembered something..." said Vicki. "I promised Serenity that I would teach her how to knit."

"Um yeah, that's fine with me," said Robert. "Because I promised Darren that I would teach him how to play mah-jong..."

Vicki and Robert quickly went back to their different ways. Vicki was heading behind the town tree and Robert went behind the buildings at Main Street. At the same time, they both began to transform into their heroic versions.

Phantom Angel walked to the train station where she sensed an evil presence. As soon as she was about to enter, someone quickly grabbed her arm. She was startled and turned around to see who it was. It was just her only ally, Masked Swordmaster.

"Don't try to go there by yourself," Masked Swordmaster warned the angel. "Otherwise, you might get caught or put yourself in danger again."

"Oh no, I don't want that to happen again!" said Phantom Angel. "Shall we go there together instead?"

"I was about to think the same thing. So, let's go!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster entered the train station. There were no passengers in sight and Porter was the only one who's here. While they were looking for the train in both ways, there was an odd-faced brown cat named Katt who slowly approached to them. She took out the straw from her pocket and blew out the tranquilizers at the heroes. When the duo felt the tranquilizers punctured on their backs, they became unconscious and fell to the ground.

After the heroes passed out, Porter snapped his fingers and the smoke appeared all around him. As soon as the smoke disappeared, it turned out to be Arrowhead who disguised himself as Porter. The henchmen jumped down from the ceiling while Katt snickered with her glowing red eyes.

"Good job, Katt, our plan worked perfectly," said Arrowhead. "And they finally fell for it! Ha ha ha!"

"So, what are we going to do now, purrty?" Katt asked.

"Oh, I know! Let's tie them to the train tracks. When the train comes, they will be crushed like nuts!"

"Um Arrowhead, someone's coming..." said the henchman, as he heard the footsteps approaching.

Arrowhead and his gang stood behind the unconscious heroes and looked at the entrance. They immediately saw Sammy and Jimmy who entered the train station. When the twins saw the enemies, they began to freak out with their jaws dropped and left the train station right away. After they left the train station all of the sudden, Arrowhead's henchmen proceeded his plan as they dragged the duo to the train tracks and tied them up.

Several minutes later, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were finally awakened and found themselves tied to the train tracks. They were struggling to get themselves free that their hands and feet were binding to the train tracks. Arrowhead began to laugh as he saw the duo trying to break free. Masked Swordmaster glared at him in astonishment.

"Arrowhead, do you seriously find that amusing?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"And where is Porter?" Phantom Angel asked. "What did you do to him?"

"Let's just say that monkey got tied up for hours in the bottom of the train station!" Arrowhead answered. "Just like you two got tied up on the train tracks! Ha ha ha!"

"T'ch, I don't find that amusing, you insane archer," said Masked Swordmaster unenthusiastically.

"And I don't find that funny at all..." Phantom Angel trembled.

"Well, what's wrong with my sense of humor?!" Arrowhead asked furiously. "But enough said! If the schedule is correct, then the train should be here in ten minutes priority! You know how the old saying goes, 'Rest in peace!'"

Arrowhead, Katt, and the henchmen quickly left the train station while Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were tied down to the train tracks. He tried to twist his hands back and forth to loosen the ropes from the tracks. Phantom Angel tried to pull her hands away from the ropes, but they were too tight. With five minutes left, they heard the train whistle from afar. Which means, the train would be arriving very soon. So, they had to get out of there right away before the train might ran over them.

"Oh no, the train is going to be here soon!" Phantom Angel panicked. "Swordmaster, do something quickly!"

"Yeah, I'm on it right now!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, after he tapped his wristband lightly on the train track. It suddenly released the power of heat to burn the ropes less than five seconds. Finally, one of his hands was free after the ropes were burned through. "Alright, got it!"

Masked Swordmaster got himself freed before he rescued Phantom Angel. They quickly got out of the train tracks and got onto the train station before the train suddenly arrived. As soon as the train stopped, the passengers got out of the there. The heroes were looking for Porter wherever the enemies had put him. Suddenly, they heard the muffling sound which it came from below. They found the secret cellar door as they opened it and found Porter who got tied up and gagged. They quickly got him out of there and set him free.

"Ahh, thank you for saving me, eek eek!" said Porter. "If it weren't for you two, then I would've been stuck here forever!"

"Oh, don't mention it, Porter," said Phantom Angel. "At least, you're okay, right?"

"I sure am! Anyways, back to our business!"

"Ah, that's right! We should go find Arrowhead and stop him!"

"I agree, so let's go!" said Masked Swordmaster. "He can't be that far!"

Arrowhead and his gang were at Main Street as they were watching the train went by. As they were about to leave, they were blocked by the two heroes. The enemies' reactions became very disappointing. Arrowhead wasn't very surprised that his jaws began to drop.

"H-How on earth did you two survived?" Arrowhead asked. "I thought you two would've been dead by now! But that doesn't matter to me anymore! Henchmen, go get them now!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster fought Arrowhead's henchmen. While Katt was trying to avoid the fight, she was caught by Nick who sprayed her face with the sleepy spray and made her fall asleep. He quickly dragged her to Booker and Copper before Arrowhead found out about this. As soon as the archer saw him dragging the sleepy cat, he quickly went after him. But Phantom Angel stopped him just in time as she punched his face and threw him to the ground. Arrowhead took out his bow and shot her down with his arrows. Luckily, Masked Swordmaster defended her with his shield after he tapped his wristband. It blocked Arrowhead's attack from getting hit on either of them.

"Blast, your defense is getting stronger than before!" said Arrowhead. "I have no idea of how that happened, but you won't be so tough anymore next time!"

After Arrowhead and his henchmen disappeared, Phantom Angel had no idea of what the archer meant. Masked Swordmaster, on the other hand, knew of what he meant by that. So, she began to ask him a question.

"Say, what does Arrowhead mean by 'getting stronger then before?'" Phantom Angel asked.

"Oh, about that?" Masked Swordmaster explained. "Before I came here, I used to get stronger before. Until someone used the poisonous crystal in front of me, I grew weaker just like my energy was getting drain into it so sudden..."

"R-Really? That sounds really frightening..."

"It sure is...That is until I came here, in StarLily, I have grown stronger again but not quite full yet. I'm not sure of how I got my strength back. Isn't that mysterious to you?"

"Oh, not too mysterious I believe!"

Phantom Angel remembered the time when Elly ruined the show at Club LOL. The angel saved the show from the evil rockstar and sang the song in front of everyone to heal them back to normal. If that would be the case, then that would've mean Masked Swordmaster's strength was returning.

"Hey, Phantom Angel?" Masked Swordmaster called, as he interrupted the angel's thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" Phantom Angel replied. "But anyways, there's something that I have to tell you in mind. Whether you think it's a good one or not..."

"Um, okay...let me hear it then?"

Phantom Angel looked around real quick so she whispered to Masked Swordmaster's ear. He started to nod one at a time and began to smile while she was whispering. Nick found them whispering in agreement as he started to sigh and turned away for a second. He didn't even know of what they were saying, but he'd rather not interfered them.

The next day, Vicki read the front newspaper as she couldn't help but to smile. When Nick and Serenity passed by, they noticed the front headline and were very surprised. So, they sat next to her and checked out the main headline.

"Well, what do we have here?" Nick asked, as he was starting to read the headline. "'Duo Of Justice Confirmed'? Now, who came up with an idea like that?"

"I came up with the team's name, little brother!" Vicki answered. "Since Masked Swordmaster agreed with that name, we decided that we should called ourselves, the Duo of Justice!"

"That sounds like a great name for the dynamic duo!" said Serenity. "And I kind of like it, it's suitable for both of you!"

"Yeah, no complaints whatsoever!" said Nick.

Meanwhile at the hotel, Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were at the dining room. Robert was reading the recent newspaper while Lorelei and Darren were listening to it.

"'Yesterday, Porter was saved from the bad guys; and it was all thanks to Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster,'" Robert read aloud. "'Now, the duo will be known as the Duo of Justice since they are finally working together to fight evil and save the world!'"

"Wow, that's the best article ever!" said Lorelei.

"Yeah, I'd say Duo of Justice sounds fitting to me," said Darren. "Say, who came up with the good idea like that?"

"Dude, let's just say Phantom Angel came up with the good name," Robert answered. "And I definitely agreed with her since I like that name."

"Wow, that sounds fantastic, big brother!" said Lorelei happily. "With you two teaming up, I would love to take a picture of both of you or maybe I can record a video as well..."

"Um...excuse me, Lorelei?"

"Uh...what your sister is trying to say is you and Phantom Angel are making a great team!" said Darren, as he covered Lorelei's mouth with his hand.

Robert chuckled happily as he couldn't help but to smile. So, he looked at the front page of the newspaper and saw the picture of Phantom Angel and himself as Masked Swordmaster. With the two heroes teaming up, things were suddenly changed for StarLily.


	13. Once Upon An Eclipse

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 12: Once Upon An Eclipse

Allen's ship has finally arrived in StarLily. He used his dark magic to make his ship invisible. That way, nobody would see that, except his retainers and himself. Then, he overheard someone talking about what event would be held next in StarLily.

"I've heard that there's going to be an eclipse coming by tomorrow!" said Flare excitedly.

"Oh really?" said Blade. "I have never seen an eclipse before!"

"Well, neither do I!"

"But at least, you will see it for the first time by tomorrow, right?" said Allen, as he was starting to interrupt the conversation.

"Why yes, Master Allen!" said Blade. "You're absolutely right! We will see it with our own two eyes!"

"Oh yeah!" Flare agreed. "Plus, we're going to ruin the event no matter what the cost!"

At the town, Vicki was drinking her juice while sitting at the town tree. She was starting to have a daydream about the unknown figure. Although, he looked very familiar to her as she was starting to point out of who it was. Until someone interrupted her dream, she looked up to see who it was.

"Hi, Robert!" said Vicki surprisingly.

"Hi, Vicki," said Robert. "Um, is it okay if I can sit with you?"

"There's no need to ask, but be my guest!"

Robert sat down next to Vicki while she was drinking her juice. Then, he began to ask her something.

"This may come in random, but why do you like sitting at the town tree?" Robert asked curiously. "The reason I asked you this, it's just that I saw you sitting here sometimes."

"Oh, it's because that's my favorite spot to sit," Vicki answered. "Sometimes, I began to think on my own thoughts and have a daydream while I'm sitting here!"

"Oh, really now? Well, to be honest, I did that, too, in my old town."

"Hmm, seriously?"

Robert nodded. "Yes, but sometimes I had to clear my head from bad thoughts that I got in the past..."

"B-Bad thoughts? Do you have a tough time back in Emblem?"

"Yeah, it's quite of a long story..."

"Then, tell me at least one thing if not all?"

"Um, that's very hard for me to explain this to you, even at least one explanation..."

While Vicki and Robert were talking, Nick was standing behind the tree. He was spying on them and began crossing his arms. Serena was standing on top of his head and spying on them, too.

"Man, I really wish of what's going on between those two," Nick grimaced. "But I don't want to interfere them."

"Just leave them be, Nick," said Serena, as her eyes began to shine. "Why spying on them in the first place? Besides, you may never know what those two have a lot of common."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that, Serena...I can't lay a finger of what they have in common, but I may never know that until I will find out soon."

On the opposite side, Lorelei was behind the bushes with Neon by her side. She tried to record the video of Vicki and Robert having a conversation in high volume with her smartphone, but that's the only maximum volume it has. She quietly giggled if she was enjoying this, but Neon, on the other hand, didn't find that interesting.

"If Robert finds out about this, he won't be so pleased," said Neon calmly.

"Just relax, Neon, and I don't think he will," said Lorelei. "If my hunch is correct, then I believe Vicki and Robert will have a lot of common somehow."

Neon's eyes were starting to sparkle. "Huh, you don't say, do you?"

When the night came, Flare and her henchmen had arrived in town along with the pink wolf named Freya. They set up the antenna to make everybody, in town, passed out before the eclipse would come to the view. Once they were done, they quickly rushed to the clock tower for the night.

The very big day has come, Vicki had arrived at the town plaza and saw the crowd. Isabelle started to pass out the eclipse glasses and the small, white cardboard to everybody in town. Redd was setting up the refreshments booth for everybody to buy some snacks and drinks. While they were all waiting for the eclipse to come, Vicki ran into Robert who gave her the spare glasses and the cardboard.

"I think you might need these just in case?" said Robert politely.

"Oh, thank you, Robert!" said Vicki kindly, as she took the eclipse glasses and the white cardboard from Robert. "That is very kind of you to lend me those things."

"Hey, no problem! I already asked Isabelle if she could give me the extra ones for you; and she said it's okay."

"That's very thoughtful of you."

As soon as Vicki put away the glasses and the cardboard, she noticed something on top of the train station. She started to investigate it before the eclipse would come. Then, Robert began to follow her as well.

"Hey, is something the matter?" Robert asked.

"What? Oh no, everything's alright!" Vicki answered. "It's just that...I just noticed that there's a satellite on top of the train station."

"What's that? A satellite on top of the train station?" Robert was looking at the direction where Vicki was pointing at and saw the satellite. "How curious...has it always been there?"

"Hmm, I don't remember seeing it or how long it's been there. This is kind of strange..." Suddenly, Vicki began to sense evil within the satellite. "I...think I should be heading out right now. If you'll excuse me..."

As soon as Vicki left the crowd, Robert also sensed evil as well. "Yeah, I also should be heading out for now..."

Robert quickly left the crowd and went to Main Street. He hid between the buildings and began to transform into Masked Swordmaster. He immediately rushed to the train station and used his spring boots to jump over the roof. As soon as he landed on the roof, he saw Phantom Angel who got here first and tried to figure it out of what the satellite was doing here in the first place.

"Ah, Masked Swordmaster, you're here just in time," said Phantom Angel. "I don't know what the satellite was doing here, but I bet the evildoers are planning to do something with it. Can you use your sword to take down the satellite?"

"Yeah, I'll try to do that right now!" Masked Swordmaster replied, as he took out his sword.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you..." said the sinister voice, as the heroes turned around and saw Flare standing behind them.

"Flare, I bet that satellite belongs to you, right?"

"Of course, it belongs to me, you masked knight!"

"Then, what are you planning to do with it, Flare?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Oh, I'll explain it to you later...right after you two will be knocked down!"

Flare's words gave her henchmen the cue as they quietly snuck behind the Duo of Justice. They struck them really hard with the stick. Both of the heroes fell down and became unconscious. Flare laughed hysterically as she told her henchmen of what to do next.

One hour later, the Duo of Justice found themselves tied down to the griddle after they were finally awakened. Flare and her henchmen started to approach them and started to grin.

"Finally, you two are awake," said Flare. "As I was about to explain the satellite to you, I'm using it to drain all the animals and humans' energies before the eclipse will appear!"

"You fiery woman, you wouldn't dare!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"Oh, wouldn't I? Well, as for both of you, you're about to turn into a crisp!"

"How so?" Masked Swordmaster asked, clenching his teeth.

Flare laughed evilly. "Oh Freya, just show them how exactly!"

Freya pushed the jumbo-sized magnifying glass as it was placed right above the Duo of Justice. None of them could lift their heads because they were tied down to the griddle, but they could still turn their heads elsewhere while looking around. Phantom Angel scoffed at Flare's plan as if that thing could kill them.

"Okay, like, I find that hard to believe," said Phantom Angel. "I mean, that thing could not kill us!"

"Uh, I wouldn't be so sure about that..." said Masked Swordmaster, after he sniffed something from below. "That's because I'm beginning to smell wood...right below us!"

"Wait...WHAT?! They seriously put wood below us?!"

"That's right, angel girl!" Flare cackled. "With the help of the sunlight, the magnifying glass will start to burn the wood right below you! As soon as the fire will appear, you two will turn yourselves into ashes! So farewell, you weakly foes!"

After Flare, her henchmen, and Freya left the Duo of Justice behind, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster tried to break free before they ended up getting burned. They were still struggling to loosen the ropes from their hands that they wanted to get out of there and stopped the villains. Otherwise, it might be too late for them to save everybody in town.

Meanwhile at the town plaza, Nick and Serenity were searching for Vicki. Lorelei and Darren were looking for Robert everywhere. Once they were running into each other, they almost didn't see of where they're going. They were all pretending that they didn't worried about either Vicki or Robert.

"Oh hey, guys!" said Nick.

"Oh, hi there, folks!" said Lorelei.

"Are you guys excited about the eclipse?" Serenity asked.

"Of course, we're excited about the eclipse!" Darren answered.

"Yeah, I can't wait to take a picture of it!" said Lorelei excitedly.

While everyone was talking, Sammy and Jimmy started to push them away as they began to set up their fold-up chairs. Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were getting irritated by the twins' behavior.

"Move it, geeks!" said Sammy. "We're starting to set up our chairs on that spot!"

"Yeah, get out of our way!" said Jimmy. "This spot is now already taken! So, go find your own!"

Everyone sighed heavily as they moved away from the Slapjack brothers and went somewhere else. They decided that they should blend in with the crowd at the town plaza. Nick and Darren were heading to the refreshments booth to get some snacks and drinks. So, Lorelei and Serenity were starting to worry about Robert and Vicki in their minds; and nobody had any idea of where they went now.

Somewhere on top of the building, the Duo of Justice were still tied down to the griddle with the magnifying glass on top of them. Masked Swordmaster had one trick up in his sleeve. So, he quickly tapped his boots to activate the magnetic boots to move the magnifying glass to point directly at the binded ropes instead. Few seconds later, the ropes were burned down so quickly that their hands were finally free. At last, the Duo of Justice quickly freed themselves and got out of the griddle for good.

"Oh my goodness, I thought we were barbeque for sure!" said Phantom Angel anxiously. "But thanks for your boot tactics, we were finally saved!"

"Hey, don't mention it," said Masked Swordmaster. "It wasn't that easy, but it takes me a lot of focus!"

"Well, you said it!"

"But more importantly, we have to destroy Flare's satellite and save everybody in town before the eclipse comes!"

"Ah, you're right! Let's go!"

As soon as the eclipse was approaching, Flare turned on the satellite and pointed directly at the villagers who were at the town plaza. She booted up the satellite and the sonic waves suddenly appeared. The villagers' energies began to drain little by little before they were unconscious. Suddenly, the thunder wave, came out of nowhere, damaged the satellite and got exploded. The villains coughed and began moving away from the smoke. Flare and her henchmen looked down of where the thunder wave was coming from and saw the Duo of Justice who mananged to survive from the griddle. They noticed that one of them was holding the guardian cannon which explained of where the thunder wave was coming from.

"T-T-That's impossible!" Flare shouted. "I-I thought you two would've been burn into ashes!"

"Oh no, we're still alive, Flare," said Phantom Angel. "But there is one thing that's turned into ashes is your evil plan! Hee hee!"

"Ugh! Men, go attack them now!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster fought against Flare's henchmen. Freya avoided the fight as she hid behind one of the trees while watching the fighting scene. Flare used her torch to attack the Duo of Justice. After her henchmen were beaten, Masked Swordmaster used his sword to cancel out her attack. Phantom Angel used her staff to stop the fiery warrior.

"Guardian bubble burst!" Phantom Angel shouted, as she summoned the bubbles to knock Flare to the trees.

"Oh, why you-?!" Flare clenched her teeth, as she stood up from the ground. "You two will live to regret this! I'll be back!"

After Flare disappeared, Freya quickly made a getaway. Until she was stopped by Duo of Justice, she was outnumbered.

"You two won't catch me this time, uff da!" said Freya, as she ran to another side. Until she was stopped by someone's sleepy spray, she collapsed and fell asleep.

"Whoa, w-what just happened here?" Phantom Angel asked.

"I-I don't know..." Masked Swordmaster replied. "But I was about to ask the same thing..."

As soon as someone stepped out of the tree, the Duo of Justice saw the fortune-telling panther, Katrina! She carried the sleepy spray in her paws after she sprayed it on Freya. Her eyes began to twinkle while she was looking at them.

"Katrina!?" said the Duo of Justice surprisingly.

"Luckily, I have arrived just in time," said Katrina calmly. "I can sense this wolf was possessed by the evil force."

"Yeah, Freya was being controlled by evil," said Masked Swordmaster. "Not just her, but there are some animals were being controlled as well. We have some being captive in the police station right now."

"If only there's a way to return Freya and the other animals back to normal..." said Phantom Angel. "But now, we don't even know how exactly! Katrina, if you have a better solution, now is the good time to tell us."

"Perhaps, there is a way..." Katrina explained. "Just listen to the fortune that I'm giving you right now, young heroes. Ahem, I am beginning to see the answer you must seek in the future...Yes, I can see the secret new power that you, heroes, must possess; and it will be born within your dreams somehow whenever the time will come. Not only this new power will return some animals back to normal, but it will demolish the greater evil knight and his greater dark power he possessed! That is all for now..."

After Katrina gave the Duo of Justice the fortune, she took Freya to the police station right away. The duo were so confused about their fortune that they had no idea of what she meant by that.

"Well, um, that was...interesting," said Masked Swordmaster.

"Yeah, um, very...unique alright," said Phantom Angel. "But enough of that, do you have any idea of who the leader of the darkness is?"

"The leader of darkness? I can't say who I'm afraid..."

"Oh come on, just tell me who that is! Or at least, give me a hint or two?"

Masked Swordmaster sighed softly as he was starting to hesitate a little. "Fine, I'll give you a hint, you don't see that guy everyday like I do before..."

"Uh, I don't understand that..."

"Of course, you don't understand. But just in case if you'll run into him, you will know what I mean."

Suddenly, the eclipse was about to appear right above everybody in town when the sun and the moon were together. They all wore the eclipse glasses to see it, but some were holding the cardboards to see its appearance instead. Even the Duo of Justice saw the eclipse with their own secret protective eye mask lenses. Few minutes later, the eclipse disappeared as the sun and the moon began to separate from each other. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were very amazed about it. Then, their faces were suddenly getting closer and their lips were reaching to each other. But somehow, they paused for a second while their noses were touching to each other.

"I just realized something..." said Phantom Angel. "Do you remember you gave me the golden rose from weeks ago? Well, I forgot to give you something in return."

"Wha-Oh no, that won't be necessary!" said Masked Swordmaster, blushing slightly.

Phantom Angel took one of the feathers from her wings and gave it to Masked Swordmaster. "Here, you can take it! It's alright."

"Um, okay...That's very generous of you, and I thank you."

After Masked Swordmaster took the white feather from Phantom Angel, they didn't noticed that Katrina got back from the police station. She was standing behind the tree, watching them with her glimmering eyes. She knew that their fortune would come whenever the time was right for them.

The next day, Robert was sitting on the bench and staring at the feather that Phantom Angel gave him in his heroic version. He sighed softly that he couldn't help but to look at it dreamily. Suddenly, he heard somebody's footsteps and headed to his direction. So, he quickly put the feather away and immediately turned around to see Lorelei and Darren.

"Hey Robert, what's on your mind lately?" Darren asked.

"Oh, not really important if you want to know," Robert answered.

"Oh come on, Robert!" Lorelei protested. "You ditched us during the eclipse event yesterday! Was it because one of Allen's retainers was causing mayhem? Is that it?"

"Okay, okay! Yes, it is! That is the main reason..."

Before Robert could finish his sentence, Lorelei began to cry in misery. "Oh no, Darren and I missed the whole action sequence!" she complained. "Now, I'll never take a picture or run a video about it!"

While Lorelei was still crying, Robert and Darren were exchanging glances at each other in an odd way; and they sighed heavily at the same time.

Meanwhile, Vicki lied down at the town tree and stared at the golden rose that Masked Swordmaster gave her before when she was Phantom Angel. She was staring at it dreamily and sighed very softly. When she heard somebody coming to her direction, she quickly put the rose away and sat right up. She was looking at Nick and Serenity who were standing in front of her.

"Oh, hi guys!" said Vicki. "What's up?"

"I have a question to ask you about yesterday," said Nick. "My question is where were you this whole time during the eclipse event?"

"Um, what Nick was trying to say is the villain was trying to ruin the event, right?" Serenity suggested, as she shoved Nick aside.

"Yeah, she sure did alright," Vicki answered. "But luckily, we stopped her evil plan!"

"When you say 'we,' do you mean by Masked Swordmaster and yourself?" Nick asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, that is exactly what I mean, Nick."

While everyone was still talking about the time during the eclipse event, the conversation would never end.


	14. The Fashionable Disaster

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 13: The Fashionable Disaster

The night came when Gracie and the others closed their shops. She went to the Roost to buy a cup of coffee and saw the three hedgehog sisters. Their names were Mabel, Sable, and Labelle; and they were sitting at the table to have a conversation with each other. So, she decided to join them and have a chat for a while.

"Ah bonjour, ladies!" said Gracie. "How are you all doing today?"

"We're all doing good, thank you!" Mabel replied.

"Ah, that's good! You know something, ladies, I've been thinking in a very long time now."

"Oh, and what's that, Gracie?" Labelle asked.

"Well, you see...I'll be planning to put up a fashion show!"

"A fashion show?!" said the Able sisters excitedly.

"That's right, ladies! I've decided that I will put up a fashion show! I'm going to confirm this to Isabelle. If she thinks it's okay, then the fashion show will be on next week!"

"Oh yeah, we'll help you if you want us to," said Sable.

"It will always be a pleasure for wanting my help. Thanks for a bunch, ladies!"

One week later, Isabelle, Gracie, and the Able Sisters prepared for the fashion show at the town plaza. The two moles, known as the Resetti brothers were done building the stage and decided to take a break. The Able sisters had completed the fashion clothes and accessories for the fashion show. Isabelle and Gracie were very happy about it that they couldn't wait to get the show started.

"Gracie, I believe your idea for the fashion show is fantastic!" said Isabelle happily.

"Exactly my point, Isabelle!" said Gracie. "Although, I can do this once a year if all goes well!"

"Sounds amazing to me!"

While the fashion show was still setting up, Vicki and the others saw how fantastic the stage was. They even saw the fashionable clothes and accessories the Able sisters made. Vicki was so excited about this, and so did Lorelei and Serenity.

"Wow, who would've thought that Gracie is putting up the fashion show?" Serenity asked.

"Yeah, this is the first time the fashion show is taking place," said Lorelei.

"It certainly is, Lorelei!" said Vicki. "Last week, Gracie came to see Isabelle and talked about the fashion show. After they agreed about it, they started to set things up at the town plaza."

"Wow, really?"

"Yes, really! While they were doing that, Gracie asked for volunteers to become the fashion models on stage."

"So, you're becoming one of them, right, Vicki?"

"Yeah, I am one of the fashion models and Serenity joined in as well."

"That's awesome! I can't wait to see you both in those fashionable clothes on stage! I won't forget to record the video _and_ take a picture of you both in those fashionable designs."

"Oh Lorelei, you're such a photographer!" said Serenity. "...And a videographer as well!"

Lorelei chuckled. "Well, you know my skills!"

Vicki giggled. "Say Lorelei, where's Robert?"

"Oh, he's at the gym right now, working out."

"Ah, I see. Well, whenever you see him, tell him to come to the fashion show at the town plaza before it starts."

"Okay, I will tell him for you!"

After Lorelei rushed to tell Robert about the fashion show, Vicki and Serenity were very glad and chuckled while looking at the stage. All of the sudden, Sammy and Jimmy blocked their view and stared at them.

"Hey ladies, excited about the fashion show?" Sammy asked.

"Yeah, what's so amusing about that?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, once the fashion show starts, Serenity and I will be the fashion models," Vicki replied. "And you two will be sitting on the back row seats!"

Sammy stuck out his tongue and made a sound. "Now, whoever said we'll be part of the audience?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're also the fashion models if you're not aware!" said Jimmy.

"Wait, what?!" Vicki and Serenity asked in shock.

"You heard us, ladies," said Sammy.

"Yeah, see you both on stage," Jimmy laughed.

After Sammy and Jimmy left, Vicki and Serenity glanced at each other with their mouths opened. None of them said a word at all until few minutes later.

"Oh no, what does Gracie thinking of letting those twins become the fashion models?" Vicki asked uncomfortably.

"I don't know, but she has her own reasons though," Serenity replied. "But let us hope that they won't cause any mischief during the fashion show."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that. I hope they won't cause any more trouble."

When Vicki and Serenity were heading to the Roost, there was a girl who was sitting on the log bench. She was glancing at the fashion stage with her glowing red eyes. Right next to her, there was a green frog with red lips named Jambette. So, they were sneaking up to the fashion stage. While they were inside, they looked around to see if no one's there. The dark green-haired girl suddenly changed her form, and it was none other than Ivy. Finally, her henchmen appeared and started to gather around.

"Gentlemen, we have a plan that will make this fashion show into the disaster," said Ivy. "And here's what we have to do..."

Few hours later, the audience were sitting down and waiting patiently for the fashion show to start. Nick was having a hard time when he was searching for the empty seat. Until he saw Robert and the others were waving at him, he was trying to approach to them and saw the empty seat that Robert was saving for him. So, he finally sat down next to him and waiting for the fashion show to start.

"Thanks for saving me the seat, Robert!" said Nick. "I'm so busted if I can't find one..."

"Ha, not at all, Nick!" said Robert. "Lorelei told me that Vicki and Serenity are the fashion models for the show. Am I right?"

"Yeah, that's right! They're volunteering to become the fashion models. I can't wait to see what designs they're wearing for the fashion show!"

"So do I, man!" said Darren.

"Right, I will love to see what kind of fashion outfits Vicki is wearing whenever she's on stage!" Robert smiled, as he closed his eyes for a second.

As soon as the audience's chattering fell silent, they turned their attention to Gracie who was on stage. Before she could begin her speech, she cleared her throat for a second.

"Thank you, everyone for coming to see the fashion show!" Gracie announced. "Before we start the show, I would like to thank Isabelle for cooperating me with this special event!" Everybody gave an applause to Isabelle who stood up from her seat at the front row. Then, they turned their attention back to Gracie. "Without further ado, let the fashion show begin!"

After Gracie's speech ended, the audience gave her a round of applause. The curtain rose up and the music began to play in the background. The fashion model appeared on stage, wearing the new design. The audience was very amazed by his or her fashion outfits. Few moments later, Sammy first appeared on stage as he was wearing the cool outfit. Followed by Jimmy, who was wearing the rock 'n roll outfit. Robert and the others didn't expect the twins to appear as fashion models.

"Man, I wasn't expecting those two to appear on stage..." said Nick, in the disgusted tone.

"Oh, who cares about them?" Robert sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Shh...guys, look!" Lorelei whispered, as she was pointing to someone right after the Slapjack brothers. "It's Serenity!"

Serenity was next on stage, and she was wearing the autumn-designed outfit. While she was turning around in front of the crowd, Nick thought that she was beautiful in that outfit. As soon as she left the stage, Vicki was next as she was wearing the long, elegant dress. Robert slowly opened his mouth and blushed slightly while he was looking at her in that fashion outfit. Lorelei couldn't help but to giggle at her older brother.

Behind the stage, Ivy changed her form and disguised herself as the fashion model. As soon as Jambette joined her, they went to the stage with their umbrellas. The henchmen guarded the Able sisters who were now tied up. When Vicki left the stage, she began to sense an evil presence after she passed by Ivy and Jambette. She slowly looked behind them and knew that something's not right about them.

Jambette walked up to the stage first with her fashion outfit. Next, Ivy walked to the stage with her in her fashion outfit. Gracie realized that she didn't recognized those two nor their fashion outfits at all. Robert began to sense evil from those two fashion models all of the sudden. He quickly stood up from his seat and left the crowd.

"Hey Robert, where do you think you're going?" Nick asked.

"I have-uh, phone call to make," Robert answered, as he tried to make an excuse. "Now if you'll excuse me for just a moment..."

After Robert left, Ivy suddenly changed back to her true form. The crowd began to gasp in fear, including Gracie who was in a big shock. Ivy and Jambette pressed their umbrellas to shoot the smoke out of it. When the smoke began to spread, everybody began to cough so hard and quickly fainted.

As soon as Vicki sensed danger on stage, she warned the fashion models right away. But she was too late, she found them unconscious, including Serenity and the Slapjack brothers. Then, she heard the noise that was coming from the closet, but it was guarded by Ivy's henchmen. So, she quickly went to the dressing room and transformed into Phantom Angel.

Robert went to the backstage and looked around to see if anyone's there. As soon as he saw Ivy's henchmen who were standing by the closet, he quickly went to the vacant dressing room and transformed into Masked Swordmaster.

After the transformations were completed, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster left the dressing rooms at the same time. As soon as they noticed their presences, they were so surprised that they began to shriek. They were about to ask of where they came from or how they got here, but they'd rather not because it's not important to either of them. More importantly, they began to fight against Ivy's henchmen and saved the Able sisters after they found them tied up in the closet.

Back on stage, Gracie was tied up to the chair and got muffled. She was struggling to break herself free, but she couldn't. Ivy grabbed her neck really hard and glared at the giraffe with her glowing red eyes.

"Next time when you say our fashion is nothing but a failure once more," said Ivy, clenching her teeth, "I will give you something that is more than a failure, but a disaster that will end your life right here and right now!"

"Hey wicked lady, leave Gracie out of this!" said the voice.

"And who dare said that?!" When Ivy looked around to see who it was, she immediately saw the Duo of Justice on stage.

"I think your big problem is that your fashion sense becomes so lacking!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"That's right, your fashion design is nothing but a failure to us all, including Gracie who has a good point!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed.

"Since we are working as a team..."

"We are now called ourselves..."

"The Duo of Justice!" said the heroes in triumph. "We're fighting evil in order to save the residents and the town!"

"Alright, that really sounds new to me!" said Ivy sarcastically. "But enough said! I'll defeat you two once and for all! So, feel the wrath of my cursed plants! Poison ivy wrap!"

When Ivy launched her attack, the Duo of Justice dodged her attack. Masked Swordmaster used his sword to cut down the vines. Then, she used her another attack, which it was called the poison oak leaf blades. Phantom Angel used her staff to cancel out her attack by summoning her ice magic attack.

"Guardian icy breeze!" Phantom Angel called.

After Ivy's leaf attack was frozen solid, she used her roots attack to bind Phantom Angel. The angel tried to break free from the roots, but she couldn't. Masked Swordmaster used his sword skill to free her from the roots.

"Knight blazing sword!" Masked Swordmaster called, as his sword was swirled with fire to cut down the roots from Phantom Angel.

Once Phantom Angel was free from Ivy's roots, she used her staff again to call out her another attack. "Guardian light orb blaster!" she called.

As soon as the light orbs blasted Ivy off the stage, she growled at the Duo of Justice and glared at them.

"You simpletons, you may have won that round," Ivy shouted, "but next time, you won't be so lucky anymore!"

After Ivy disappeared, the Duo of Justice tied Jambette before she made a getaway. Then, they freed Gracie and cured the crowd from Ivy's smoke. Isabelle took a picture of them with her digital camera and Lorelei did the same thing with her own smartphone. Suddenly, the duo left the stage and took Jambette to the police station.

When the Duo of Justice left the police station, Phantom Angel glanced at Masked Swordmaster with the smile, and he did the same thing to her. Suddenly, she was very curious about something.

"Say, Swordmaster, have you ever been onto the stage before?" Phantom Angel asked. "For example, giving speech or host the party?"

"Oh, that is a good question and the answer is yes," Masked Swordmaster explained. "For one time, I gave the speech in front of the crowd in Emblem."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah...Compare to yours, I will only give out speech whenever the special event was announced and no evil would interfere ever again. Well, I remembered the time when you sang a song in front of the crowd, right?"

"Yeah, that's right! You heard me singing for the first time. Well, I only did this once in a while."

"Yes, that is very amazing."

Few moments later, the fashion show continued as the fashion models were showing off his or her fashion designs in front of the crowd. When Robert came back, Nick was very curious about his absence.

"Dude, where have you been all this time?" Nick asked.

"Oh well, uh, I went to the bathroom after I made a phone call," Robert answered, as he was trying to make up another excuse. "So...did I miss anything?"

"Um yeah...there is really," said Lorelei. "You see...there is someone trying to ruin the fashion show."

"Oh right, that's one thing you missed, Robert," said Nick.

"Indeed, until the Duo of Justice stopped the bad guys, the fashion show is saved!" said Darren.

"Oh wow, that's a relief!" said Robert, smiling. "Thank god, the fashion show goes on! And it was all thanks to the Duo of Justice!"

While everyone was still watching the fashion show, Sammy was showing off in his new fashion outfit. When he was doing that, he played the guitar and began to sing off-key. As soon as everybody covered their ears, Jimmy started to appear in his new fashion outfit. He also played the guitar while everybody were still covering their ears. Gracie rolled her eyes, shook her head, and placed her hoof on her forehead. Mabel and Labelle quickly approached to the twins and dragged them off the stage. The crowd began to laugh very lightly when the Slapjacks told the hedgehogs that they were trying to add some entertainment.

After Sammy and Jimmy's foolish attempt, Serenity appeared in her beautiful fashion design and was wearing the bridesmaid dress. Up next after her, Vicki appeared on stage in her gorgeous fashion design. She was wearing the long white dress, the golden crown with white veil worn on her head, white long gloves, and the white sandals with the heart in the middle. The crowd was very amazed by her fashion outfit that they began to cheer and whistle. Robert made a low whistle that his face was turning red all over. Nick glanced at him and made an awkward face.

"Hey, are you whistling to my sister or the wedding dress?" Nick asked.

"Both of them, actually..." Robert replied, as he wasn't looking at Nick. He was focusing on Vicki instead.

"Ha! Keep dreaming, lover boy."

"I-I'm sorry, Nick. Did you just say something?"

Nick groaned as he shook his head and shrugged. "Y-You know what? Never mind..."

When Vicki spotted Robert from the crowd, she smiled and winked at him before she left the stage. He began to smile at her while his face was still red. Nobody, in the crowd, seemed to mind at all, not even his sister and his friends.


	15. Mystery Of The Dark Poison Crystal

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 14: Mystery Of The Dark Poison Crystal

There were two owls named Blathers and Celeste, who were exploring the ruined land. This land used to be the town of Emblem before it turned into chaos by the evil force. They searched every rock and mineral from the ground, but none of them had any luck yet. Until they found something in front of them, it was the huge purplish-black that turned out to be the dark poison crystal. Blathers took out the pickaxe and broke down the small portion of it. After it fell to the ground, Celeste picked it up and put it in her bag.

"I think we should put this one into our new exhibit!" said Celeste. "That way, humans and animals will be attracted to our new mineral exhibit! Now, what do we call this thing, Blathers?"

"Hmm, that's a good question, Celeste..." said Blathers, as he was starting to think while taking a good look at the dark poison crystal. "Well, it can't be the amethyst since we already have one in display. Huh, I wonder what could it be..."

"Perhaps, it looks like an onyx? Yeah, it must be it since it is the rarest ore in the world!"

"Hoo, I believe you're right about that, Celeste! This onyx must be the rarest ore of all time! Let's go the museum and display it!"

Few days later, Vicki was sitting at the dining room and reading the latest newspaper. Robert quickly saw her so he went to the table and sat next to her. He was curious to see of what headline she was reading.

"Hey Vicki, what are you reading?" Robert asked.

"Hey Robert, I'm reading the article of the headline called 'New Exhibit's Grand Opening!'" Vicki explained. "Several months ago, Blathers and Celeste were planning to add the new exhibit for the museum."

"Really? What exhibit could that be?"

"It's called the mineral exhibit. There are like rocks, ores, and other minerals on display."

"That's cool! I would love to check it out!"

"I think we can go to the museum later on. What do you say?"

"Oh, I'd say it's a good idea!"

While Vicki and Robert were still talking about the mineral exhibit, Sammy and Jimmy entered the dining room and spotted them. They turned out to be in the bad mood after they saw the newspaper on the back. Sammy was glaring at it and Jimmy was pointing at either the article or the picture in it. As soon as Vicki and Robert saw them, their expressions became very awkward.

"Sammy, Jimmy, what's gotten into you both?" Vicki asked.

"Didn't you catch the last page of the newspaper?" Sammy asked, as Vicki and Robert shook their heads in response. So, he was showing the back page of the newspaper to them, and he was pointing at the picture of the twins getting drowned in the river. "Someone was taking a photo of us while we were doing the film!"

"Yeah, it's totally embarrassing!" Jimmy argued.

Vicki and Robert started to laugh at the photo that they couldn't stop. While Robert was trying to hide his laughter by covering his mouth, Vicki tried to speak up after getting some air so she could finally breathe.

"Well, congratulations to both of you!" said Vicki, as she continued to breathe before she started to laugh again. "You two would've become famous for 'Caption This Picture Of The Week!'"

"Oh, laugh all you want, mayor!" Sammy exclaimed. "But we don't want to be _that_ famous!"

"Yeah, why can't it be anything but that?" Jimmy complained.

"Oh, come on, you guys!" said Robert. "How bad can it be?"

"Oh, like you care," said Sammy sarcastically, as he started to turn his younger brother. "Come on, Jimmy, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he and Sammy left the dining room.

At the ship, Lewis gave Allen the current newspaper. As soon as Allen saw the front headline, he found something very amusing. He saw the picture of the dark poison crystal on display at the mineral exhibit, inside of the museum.

"I'm not surprised that the crystal was on display in the museum," said Lewis.

"Neither do I," said Allen. "But do you remember the time that fool, Robert was stunned by that crystal?"

"Ah! Now that you mentioned it, I certainly do! If I remembered correctly, you forced his sister to become your girlfriend. Am I right?"

"That's exactly my point!"

Lewis remembered the time before Emblem was completely destroyed. It took place over one year ago when he dragged Robert as Masked Swordmaster. The spy navigator asked him if Allen would kindly offer his love to Lorelei. But the masked white knight refused to accept that because his little sister has no feelings for him and found someone else instead. Lewis understood him of what he was saying, but he had no choice whatsoever. Behind his back, he pulled up his sleeve and pressed the button on his wristband. Suddenly, the cage appeared from above and trapped Masked Swordmaster within.

"As if the cage would...hold me...in..." said Masked Swordmaster weakly, as he was starting to feel dizzy all of the sudden.

Lewis chuckled and said, "I believe it's way more than just that!" He pressed the different button on his wristband once more and the cage suddenly flashed in blackness.

Masked Swordmaster collapsed to the ground and became weaker that he couldn't do anything at all. Lewis laughed happily that his plan went well. So, he rushed to tell Allen that the heroic knight would no longer interfere anymore, and the evil leader would finally force Lorelei to love him.

After Lewis's flashback has ended, Steel Man confronted Allen and asked him for a second chance. His master agreed and told him to do as he wished. Then, Lewis asked the muscle punk a favor before he started doing his mission.

"Hey Steel Man, would you mind helping me for a bit?" Lewis asked.

"And what could that be?" Steel Man asked curiously.

At the museum, Vicki, Nick, and Serenity were checking out inside of the mineral exhibit. They saw different kinds of rocks, minerals, and ores on display. They all took a picture of each and every one on display with their smartphones. Finally, they approached to the rarest ore in which they thought it was the onyx.

"Well, well, look at this fine ore," said Nick. "Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"No, I haven't," Serenity replied. "No doubt that this ore is the rarest of them all!"

"I'd say it is!"

While Nick and Serenity were still talking, Vicki began to sense the greater negative energy within the onyx. She had a bad feeling that that this was no ordinary ore. Until she heard someone coming, she quickly turned around and saw Robert and the others not too far that gave her an attention.

"Hey guys, you're here!" said Vicki happily.

"Hey Vicki, we're certainly here alright!" said Robert.

"Yeah, we wanted to check out the new exhibit, too!" said Lorelei excitedly.

"Then, feel free to take many pictures as you want, Lorelei!" Vicki smiled.

While everyone was observing the mineral exhibit, Robert suddenly felt the sharp pain somehow. When he saw the dark poison crystal in front of him, he stood back very slowly and began to tremble. His eyes were twitching and his breathing was weighing down so fast. Vicki was looking at him and started to get worry as if he saw the ghost. Everyone else was also worried about him as his face was turning pale.

"Um, Robert, is something the matter?" Vicki asked anxiously.

Robert didn't respond at all when he saw the dark poison crystal on display. Lorelei and Darren quickly stepped in after they saw it with their own eyes and carried him from slipping down to the floor.

"Um, you have to excuse him!" said Lorelei. "He's...not feeling well at the moment!"

"Y-Yeah, he's having a...nausea," said Darren. "So, we apologized for inconvenience!"

"Oh no, it's okay!" said Vicki.

"We're hoping that Robert will be feeling better soon," said Nick.

Lorelei and Darren quickly dragged Robert away from the mineral exhibit and left the museum. Robert leaned against the wall and got some fresh air. He finally breathed normal again and was fully recovered. He began looking around to see if no one's listening before he spoke to them.

"What is that crystal doing in the museum?" Robert asked. "And why does it have to be here?"

"I think Blathers and Celeste must have explored Emblem and discovered it somewhere," Lorelei answered.

"And they brought it here for the display," Darren added. "They didn't know that it was actually the dark poison crystal and thought that it was the onyx."

"Well, that's just great!" Robert exclaimed. "If that crystal is in the museum, then I'm not going there and that's final!"

"But Robert, what about Vicki?" Lorelei asked.

"What about...Oh, um...y-you can tell her that I'll see her at the dining room tomorrow whenever I'll get better."

"Okay, I can tell her for you right now by sending her the text message."

As soon as Robert went to his hotel room, Lorelei quickly sent Vicki the text message. After that was done, she and Darren were heading to the hotel right away. Suddenly, they bumped into Sammy and Jimmy who were checking out to see the mineral exhibit.

"Well now, where do you lovebirds heading to right now?" Sammy asked.

"We're going back to the hotel, that's where," Darren answered.

"That's right, could you at least excuse us please?" Lorelei asked, as she and Darren were walking pass the twins and heading straight to the hotel.

Back at the mineral exhibit, Vicki read the text message from Lorelei. After that, she put her phone away and began focusing back to the mysterious onyx. She started to communicate with Serena within her mind.

_Hey Serena, I began to sense the negative power within one of the ores,_ Vicki thought. _I don't know what kind of ore that is, but it's not an ordinary ore to me._

_Hmm, the color of the ore may be black as an onyx, _Serena explained in spirit._ But something tells me that this is not an ore. It's a crystal, a crystal of darkness as far as I can tell..._

_C-Crystal of darkness, eh?_

While Vicki was focusing on the dark poison crystal, Nick and Serenity had stopped taking pictures with their phones and stared at each other. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the entrance. Once they grew louder and louder, they saw Sammy and Jimmy entered the mineral exhibit.

"Well, well, this new exhibit is a beauty!" said Sammy, as he suddenly saw Nick and Serenity who were standing there. "And of course, another pair of lovebirds are here..."

"Hey Sammy and Jimmy..." said Nick and Serenity in a flat tone.

"No doubt about it, you two are checking out the new exhibit I assume," said Jimmy.

"That's right," said Nick, "but don't say this exhibit is boring, okay? Because Blathers and Celeste did all the hard work in the museum!"

"Now, why would we want to say that, Nicky-boy?" Sammy asked.

"Yeah, why is that?" Jimmy agreed.

"Because you guys kept saying that in every exhibit last year," Serenity answered. "And believe me, Vicki and I were here!"

Sammy took a glance at Vicki who was standing in front of the dark poison crystal. He scoffed at her without her noticing that and began to chuckle.

"Well, speaking of the mayor..." Sammy grinned. "Hey Nicky-boy, why is your big sister standing there like a statue and an idiot at the same time?"

"Yeah, why is that?" Jimmy laughed.

"Sammy, don't say that!" Nick argued, clenching his teeth. "Otherwise, you're going to get it big time!"

After Vicki heard every word from Sammy, she stopped thinking about the dark poison crystal and started to face him. She was getting annoy that she started to clear her throat and smile at him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and pressed it really hard that he felt the pain.

"Well, Sammy, the only idiots I know are you and Jimmy," Vicki smiled, as she was keeping her cool while clenching her teeth. "That's all I have to say!"

Sammy moaned softly that his eyes were wide-opened while Vicki was still pressing his shoulder very hard. Then, she let go of him before he started rubbing his shoulder to relieve the pain. Suddenly, he and Jimmy spotted the dark poison crystal right behind her. They quickly pushed her away and saw it with their own eyes.

"Will you just look at that, Jimmy?" Sammy asked. "Isn't she a beauty or what?"

"Yeah, a real beauty alright!" Jimmy replied. "Let's start taking a picture of it, Sammy!"

"Good idea!"

Sammy and Jimmy were looking for their smartphones in their pockets. But the big problem was they forgot to bring them. Vicki, Nick, and Serenity were laughing at them very lightly.

"Let me guess...you two left your smartphones at home, right?" Vicki grinned.

"Y-Yeah, I-I guess we did..." said Jimmy.

"Come on, Jimmy, let's go back home and take our smartphones with us," said Sammy. "And then, we'll come back here later!"

"Yeah!"

When Sammy and Jimmy had gone home, Vicki shook her head while Nick and Serenity rolled their eyes. Vicki quickly took a picture of the dark poison crystal with her smartphone before she left the museum with the others.

At the gym, Robert threw the punches at the punching bag for his practice. As soon as he was starting to feel all worn out, he hung onto it and took a break for a moment. Suddenly, the lights were all out and the gym became pitched-dark. Robert looked around the surroundings and thought that it was just the power outage. But when he heard the footsteps approaching, he quickly turned around and saw Steel Man.

"Hey there, tough guy!" said Steel Man. "Are you all alone right now?"

"What do you want, Steel Man?" Robert asked, ignoring Steel Man's question. "And did you happened to turn off the lights on purpose?"

"Yes, I did happen to turn off the lights! I'm doing this for the sake of my master, Allen!"

"Then, he's not going to get away with this!" Robert immediately tapped his wristband and transformed. "Knight power action!"

Meanwhile, Vicki, Nick, and Serenity left the museum and went straight to their homes. When Vicki began to sense an evil presence, she stopped walking and glanced at the hotel. Nick and Serenity stopped their tracks and looked at her for a second.

"Vicki, what's the matter?" Serenity asked.

"I'm sensing the enemy is in the hotel," Vicki answered. "You two keep on going, I'm heading to the hotel right now!"

As soon as Vicki ran to the hotel and took out her microphone to transform, Nick began to sigh deeply and crossed his arms.

"Oh what? She doesn't want our help this time?" said Nick abruptly. "Is it because she doesn't want us to get hurt by whoever this villain is?"

"Nick, this is no time to complain about it," said Serenity sternly. "Let's just do as she says now!" Finally, she quickly dragged him to the town without hesitation.

Back at the gym, Steel Man and Masked Swordmaster fought against each other. As soon as Phantom Angel has arrived and saw the fight, she noticed that the door was closed. She tried to open it, but it was locked tight. Then, she found the solution that she could get into the gym. She quickly used her guardian staff to create the portal, and she finally jumped right in.

While the fight was still on, Masked Swordmaster blew a punch at Steel Man. The punk bully was thrown to the wall and got slammed. While he was still standing, the portal appeared right after him and Phantom Angel charged right through him. They both fell to the floor after they bumped into each other.

"Oh, that's going to leave a mark..." said Masked Swordmaster softly, as he scratched his head.

Phantom Angel and Steel Man got up and suddenly glared at each other. They both moved away from each other and finally stood up on their feet.

"Girl, where did you come from?" Steel Man asked. "I even locked the door shut! That way, nobody will dare enter, not even you!"

"Oh, let's just say I have my own ways, Steel Man!" Phantom Angel answered. "But the question is what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, I was about to ask the same thing!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he was joining Phantom Angel's side.

"Oh, I'm just here to distract you both!" Steel Man replied.

"Distract us? From what?" Phantom Angel asked curiously.

As soon as Steel Man nodded, the mysterious figure knocked the Duo of Justice down with the stick. After they collapsed to the floor, the evil-possessed gorilla stepped out of the shadow and put the stick away.

"Nice work, Peewee!" Steel Man grinned. "Now, let's see of what we can do with those two..."

Meanwhile at the museum, Lewis and his henchmen went to the mineral exhibit with their disguises. Once they had arrived, they returned back to their true forms. They brought their equipment to break down the display in order to steal the dark poison crystal. Their work was just the beginning, and it might take a while to steal the crystal.

Back at the hotel, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were finally awakened. Surprisingly, they found themselves trapped inside of the elevator. Phantom Angel pressed the button to open the elevator door, but for some reason, it wouldn't open at all. Even she tried to press it multiple times, it still wouldn't open.

"Oh no, the elevator won't open!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, as she was starting to get frustrated. "Either it was broken down or..."

"Or this must be Steel Man's doing..." Masked Swordmaster suggested.

"Then, I wonder why he's putting us here for..."

"Well, there is only one thing he's planning to do with us."

Suddenly, the Duo of Justice heard a feedback from the speaker, which it was right above the buttons. As soon as they paid attention to it, someone began to speak through it.

"Well, well, you two have finally awakened!" Steel Man announced. "In case if you're wondering, I'm in the control of this elevator right now! Once the elevator reaches to the top floor, my animal slave will cut the cables from it. When that happens, the elevator will begin to fall really fast; and you both will be drop dead! Ha ha ha!"

"Aw man, he can't be serious now, can he?!" Phantom Angel asked in a frightening tone.

"Actually, he really is..." Masked Swordmaster replied in a grave tone.

The elevator began moving up really slowly before it reached to the top floor. The Duo of Justice were trying to think of a way to escape the elevator. Until they saw the emergency door right above them, Phantom Angel flew up and quickly opened it. The elevator suddenly stopped as it reached to the top floor. Few seconds later, Peewee began to cut the cables and the elevator was going down really fast.

As soon as the elevator got crashed to the bottom floor, the villains began to laugh very hard that they began to celebrate. But what they didn't realized from the inside was the Duo of Justice were still alive. Phantom Angel carried Masked Swordmaster away from the elevator on time before it got crashed. They looked down for a few seconds before they looked at each other.

"Man, that was a close call!" Phantom Angel sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I daresay..." said Masked Swordmaster. "If we were stuck in the elevator, then our lives would've been over. But anyways, shall we go up then? To the top floor?"

"Yeah, let's go up then!"

While Phantom Angel flew up to the top floor, Masked Swordmaster looked at her in confidence. As soon as they reached to the top floor, he cracked his knuckles and tried to open the elevator door with all his strength. Phantom Angel couldn't help but to look at him of how strong he was by opening the elevator door. Finally, the Duo of Justice found Steel Man, Peewee, and the henchmen were on the top floor.

"Hey Steel Man, I'm afraid your plan failed!" Phantom Angel smiled.

"H-How did you two escaped?!" Steel Man asked surprisingly.

"Luckily, we found the emergency door right above the elevator and got through it to escape, that's how!" Masked Swordmaster explained.

Steel Man growled angrily. "SCREW YOU, DYNAMIC DUO! Men, attack them now!"

The Duo of Justice were fighting against Steel Man's henchmen. Few moments after they gave them a knockout, Masked Swordmaster was fighting off against the punk bully. Phantom Angel blocked Peewee from his getaway and took him away to the police station. While the two opponents were clutching hand in hand, they started to glare in daggers.

"Once I'll stop you, your reign will be over, Steel Man!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, clenching his teeth while he was sweating.

"Ha, my reign you say?" Steel Man grinned. "I think it was you who were about to feel the misery, just like last year!"

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Well, in case if you didn't know about last year, Allen put something that would make you lose your mind!"

Masked Swordmaster gasped when his eyes were suddenly wide-opened. "W-What? H-How exactly?!"

Steel Man didn't answer to the white knight's question, but he kept on explaining to him instead. "As soon as the new moon appeared, you will be out of control all day and all night like last year!"

After Masked Swordmaster and Steel Man let go of their grips, the heroic knight suddenly remembered that time back in Emblem. Everything fell silent while he was looking down at his hands and trembled in fear. Steel Man cracked his knuckles and started to approach him. He went behind him and took him down until Phantom Angel came back and kicked him by the side.

"Hey big bully, didn't someone ever told you not to sneak up on people like that?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Foolish girl, didn't someone ever told you not to interfere other people's business?" Steel Man asked.

"Like, I really want to know!"

"Then, why don't you just stay out of this?"

"Why should I?"

"He's right..." said Masked Swordmaster gloomily. "Phantom Angel, you have nothing to do with this, and I don't want you to get involved."

"B-But...why?" Phantom Angel asked curiously.

"Let's just say that he and I had a small chat while you were gone," Steel Man replied. "But anyways, I'm out of here!"

After Steel Man disappeared, Phantom Angel was looking at Masked Swordmaster who was about to lose his confidence. He was afraid to look at her in the eye, but she wasn't afraid to ask him a question.

"D-Don't mind me if I can ask you this..." said Phantom Angel, without hesitation. "But what are you and Steel Man talking about while I was taking Peewee to the police station?"

"It's...well, that's something you don't really want to know," Masked Swordmaster replied in hesitation. "I-I-I'm sorry, it's a very long story, but I can't explain this to you this time..."

Phantom Angel was very speechless and stunned of what Masked Swordmaster was saying. This was the first time he couldn't answer her question because he was afraid to explain everything to her. If what Steel Man said to him was true, then he would've put everyone in danger. Especially, he would harm Phantom Angel whenever the new moon appeared.


	16. Heroic Bloods' Secret Connection

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 15: Heroic Bloods' Secret Connection

During the night at the museum, Lewis and his henchmen started to cut down the glass with the blade and took the dark poison crystal from the display. One of the henchmen gave the crystal to the spy navigator, and he safely put it in the pouch. Suddenly, they heard footsteps that came from the entrance of the mineral exhibit. Lewis told one of the henchmen to turn off the lights; and he told the rest to stand between the entrance and get the knockout spray ready.

After the lights were off, the two unknown figures entered the mineral exhibit and could not see a thing because it's too dark. Suddenly, the two henchmen began to spray with the knockout gas in front of the figures, and they collapsed to the floor. When one of the henchmen turned the lights back on, Lewis checked to see of who they were. But he was not very surprised at all if he met them before.

"Ugh, not those idiotic twins again..." said Lewis, as he saw Sammy and Jimmy who were lying on the floor, sleeping.

"So...what are we going to do now, Lewis?" the henchman asked.

Lewis was thinking as he looked around the exhibit until he suddenly found something. "Oh, I know! Let's tie those tattle tale twins in the storage and lock them up!"

Few minutes later, Lewis's henchmen tied Sammy and Jimmy and put them in the storage. As soon as Lewis closed it, he added the latch so the Slapjack twins wouldn't escape. He finally wiped off his hands and began to laugh.

"To think, I was mistaken those lousy twins for the Duo of Justice," said Lewis, "but I believe they are easy to handle than the dynamic duo! Come on, boys, let's make a getaway since we now have the dark poison crystal!"

Lewis and his henchmen suddenly disappeared since their work was finally completed. With Sammy and Jimmy tied up and locked up in the storage, nobody would know of where they were now.

The next morning, Vicki was starting to meditate, which it was one of her trainings that Serena taught her. As soon as one of the apples fell from the tree, she caught it in time before it bumped her head. She began throwing it in the air and leap on one branch to another. When she saw the apple falling, she jumped from the tree, caught the apple, and landed on the ground. She took a deep breath and sighed as she was looking at the apple. Until suddenly, Nick rushed to her and gave her the shocking news.

"B-B-Big sister, you're not going to believe this!" Nick exclaimed. "I-It's about the rare ore that Blathers and Celeste found the other day!"

"What about it, Nick?" Vicki asked.

"It was reported that someone stole it last night!"

"What? How's that possible?"

At the museum, Vicki, Nick, and Serenity went to check out the mineral exhibit. When they noticed that one of the minerals was missing, two police dogs, Booker and Copper, were trying to find the clues of the missing ore and the thief. They put up the yellow tape around the broken display and took a picture of it.

"Hey Booker, Copper!" Vicki called. "Did you guys find any clues so far?"

"We found the fingerprints on the display case and the footprints on the floor," Copper answered. "As far as I know, these footprints were belonging to not one, not two, but four people!"

"F-Four people, you say?"

"T-That's right..." said Booker. "But somehow, those footprints were unidentified..."

"Yeah, they may have come from the human, but they don't look like young teenagers' footprints to me!" Copper added.

"Wait, so you're telling me that those footprints don't look exactly like young teens like us?" Vicki suggested.

"T-That's exactly our point there..." said Booker quietly.

After Vicki and the others investigated the mineral exhibit at the museum, they ran into Robert and his gang who had heard about the stolen ore not too long ago. So, they decided to check it out for themselves.

"Hey Vicki, I've heard about the stolen rare ore in just few moments ago," said Robert.

"Yeah, pretty shocking, isn't it?" said Vicki.

"It certainly is terrible!" said Lorelei.

"I'd say it is!" said Nick, as he hit his palm of one hand with his fist of another. "Whoever this thief is, I'm going to give him my fist!"

"Nick, just chill out, okay?" said Serenity calmly.

"Anyways, we're going to check out the museum right now," said Robert. "And Vicki, maybe I will see you at the dining room later on?"

"Yes, I'll wait for you there," Vicki replied.

Robert, Lorelei, and Darren went to the museum and checked out the mineral exhibit. When they walked pass Booker and Copper, they told them to go right ahead and feel free to look around. So they did, and this time, Robert didn't feel the sharp pain after all because the dark poison crystal was not here anymore. They found the broken display case, where the dark poison crystal was stolen. While they were investigating some clues, they heard a thump all of the sudden. Then, they heard a loud thud and a loud muffle somewhere in the mineral exhibit. Robert and the others were looking around to see of where those sounds came from. Few moments later, Robert spotted the storage and thought they came from there. But he noticed that there's a latch attaching to the door.

"I wonder if that's always been there..." said Robert, as he was approaching to the storage. Lorelei and Darren were following him as well.

"How do we supposed to open the door when there's a latch attaching to it?" Lorelei asked.

"Well, there must be something, like a stick, to get the latch off the door," Darren replied.

"Hmm, maybe so..." said Robert, as he saw the metal rod on the floor. He picked it up and tear down the latch. As soon as he opened the door, he and the others saw Sammy and Jimmy falling to the floor while they got tied up and gagged.

After Robert and the others untied the Slapjack brothers and removed the handkerchiefs from their mouths, the twins were very relieved that they finally got out of the storage. Then, they thanked them for setting them free.

"Oh man, what a nightmare!" said Sammy.

"Yeah, I'd say that it is!" said Jimmy.

"Guys, just what happened to you exactly?" Robert asked.

"As far as we know, we got back to the museum after we took our smartphones with us," Sammy explained.

"And the next thing we know, we took a snooze somehow," Jimmy added.

"That's right! As soon as we wake up, we found ourselves locked up in the storage and got tied up!"

"Yeah, that's all we know."

"Did any of you get a chance to see the thief who stole the rare ore last night?" Darren asked, as he was showing Sammy and Jimmy the broken display where he was pointing at.

"What? Someone stole the rare ore?!" said Sammy shockingly. "That's just great! We missed the opportunity to take a picture of it!"

"Yeah, our dumb luck we're having!" said Jimmy.

Sammy and Jimmy were very disappointed that they left the museum. Robert and the others were still in the mineral exhibit to look for clues. All of the sudden, Robert just realized something that he should've thought about it before.

"Guys, I think I have a bad feeling about this," said Robert. "I believe this was all Allen's idea."

"Do you really think so?" Lorelei asked.

"Of course! He must've sent one of his retainers to steal the dark poison crystal from the museum!"

Darren gasped. "But how does he know that it's here?"

"I wish I could answer that, but I really don't know, Darren. This is getting very mysterious somehow..."

At the ship, Allen was looking at the dark poison crystal that Lewis stole from the museum. He snickered as he put it in the small box and closed it. As soon as Blade appeared, she bowed down to him.

"Master Allen, I just heard that the young hero realized the dark poison crystal was stolen from the museum," said Blade.

"I'm already aware of that, Blade," said Allen coldly.

"Then, shall I distract him?"

"Just do as you please and bring him here if you can."

"I will do my best, sir!"

Meanwhile, Vicki was waiting for Robert to show up at the dining room. She was watching a video from her smartphone until he finally came to meet up with her. He sat down next to her and cleared his throat.

"Hey Vicki, have you been waiting for me that long?" Robert asked.

"Oh no, not too long, Robert," Vicki answered.

When Vicki tried to put her phone away, she accidentally dropped it under the table. She was going to pick it up, but Robert was about to get it for her. As soon as their hands were touching each other on Vicki's phone, they suddenly felt strange at the same time. They both gasped and were surprised that they quickly moved their hands away from each other. Finally, they were starting to glance at each other nervously.

"Err, um, I-I'm sorry..." said Vicki softly.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" said Robert anxiously. "Y-You can go ahead and pick it up since it's your phone..."

"Oh right, thanks..."

After Vicki picked up her smartphone, she put it in her pocket safely. Then, she looked at Robert who was staring at her in few seconds ago.

"So, um, Robert?" said Vicki smilingly. "Do you want to get something to eat or drink while we're here? I'll pay for it if necessary..."

"Oh no, you should let me pay for it," Robert suggested. "I might be a little hungry right now, but I don't know about you though..."

"Oh, I'm a little hungry, too, but I'm paying for yours, not just mine!"

"Actually, I'm about to pay for yours, not just my own!"

Blade and her henchmen had arrived at Main Street, along with the dark blue bird with the green hat named Jacques. As soon as they ran into Sammy and Jimmy who left the Nooklings' store, the twins' reactions were beginning to intense when they saw the villains. Blade quickly drew her samurai sword and pointed at them. Sammy and Jimmy began to freak out as they started to scream and run away from them.

When Vicki and Robert heard the Slapjacks' screams, they looked at the exit of the dining room and wanted to find out of what's going on. They rushed to the entrance of the hotel and spotted the villains at Main Street. They saw Blade scaring off Sammy and Jimmy who were running to the town. Vicki quickly moved away from Robert as quietly as she could. She was looking for a way to exit the hotel until she found the emergency exit behind her. She was about to head there, but Robert grabbed her arm and it suddenly happened again. As if they felt the shock waves between them, he slowly let go of her arm while they were looking at each other.

"Oh sorry, I would've asked of what you're planning to do right now," said Robert in hesitation.

"Oh, um, I was about to...check out the maintenance," said Vicki. "So, um...if you'll excuse me, I have to go there."

After Robert let go of Vicki's arm, she went through the emergency exit and closed the door behind her. She gently rubbed her arm that Robert grabbed her and smoothed her hand where he touched her. She didn't know of how that happened or why that was, but she has no time to deal with it. She took out her microphone and transformed into Phantom Angel right away.

Robert immediately saw his own hand where Vicki touched him first, and he grabbed her arm for last. He soothed his hand very gently and had no idea of what's going on. But he shook off this situation and started to transform into Masked Swordmaster.

Blade and her gang had enter Nook's Homes and saw the employees, especially Tom Nook. They were so afraid that they had no idea of what to do. That was until Nick began to step in and fight off against one of her henchmen. But the henchman stopped him already and started to tie his hands in front of him.

"What are you trying to do now, ninja freak?" Nick asked, as he was starting to struggle while his hands were tied.

"Oh ho, that's a good question, shortstop," Blade grinned, as she was pointing at the window. "I'm going to toss you out of the building, that's what!"

Two of Blade's henchmen carried Nick and began to swing him before throwing him out of the building. As soon as he was thrown out through the window, he was finally saved by Phantom Angel before he hit the ground.

"What a good timing; and thanks for the save!" said Nick surprisingly.

"No problem at all, Nick!" said Phantom Angel, as she safely returned Nick back to Nook's Homes.

Phantom Angel quickly untied Nick's hands after returning him to the building safe and sound. Blade was shock that he was still alive, it was all thanks to the angel.

"Hey Blade, you have no right to throw this innocent, cunning guy out of the building to his death!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "You're about to pay for that!"

_E-E-Excuse me, c-c-cunning?_ Nick thought unsurprisingly, as his eyes and mouth were wide-opened while glancing at the angel. _Innocent is fine, but I'm not THAT cunning, sis!_

"Well, well, if it isn't Phantom Angel..." said Blade unenthusiastically.

"And don't forget about me!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he was rushing to Phantom Angel's side. "We're here to stop your evil ways, Blade! And that's why we're called ourselves..."

"The Duo of Justice!" said the dynamic duo in unison.

"Oh, big deal!" said Blade in arrogance. "And who cares about that anyways? Boys, attack!"

Blade's henchmen were fighting off against the Duo of Justice. Nick quickly grabbed Jacques behind and sprayed him with the sleepy spray. As soon as the bird fell asleep, Nick dragged him to Booker and Copper. Blade immediately saw him taking Jacques away so she quickly used her dagger to stop him. But Phantom Angel quickly saved him again by using her counterattack against Blade's dagger.

"Girl, why don't you pick on someone at your own size?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Someone like you, of course!" Blade answered, as she took out her samurai sword and began to attack Phantom Angel. But Masked Swordmaster quickly saved her from getting a direct hit.

"Are you alright?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Phantom Angel answered.

"Hey lover boy, I'm going to pin you down right now!" Blade exclaimed, as she took out some daggers and threw them at Masked Swordmaster.

Masked Swordmaster was now immobilized that he couldn't get those daggers off of him because they were pinning him to the wall. Phantom Angel tried to remove one of the daggers from the wall, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly, she sensed Blade was approaching to her and began to attack. The angel made a getaway and avoided her attack. Then, the evil ninja leapt over her and ready to strike her down. Phantom Angel realized about one of her trainings recently, and she decided that she would give it a try. She started off with the meditation before Blade was getting close to her. All of the sudden, she grabbed the ninja's arm right away and threw her to the wall while she was focusing. Blade immediately stood right up, rubbing her back, and glared at the angel.

"Well, I'd never imagined that anyone can do that!" said Blade. "But I'll be back next time!"

After Blade disappeared and Masked Swordmaster was finally free from pinning down to the wall, the Duo of Justice were sitting on the bench and watching the ocean waves. Phantom Angel was looking at her hand for a moment and was glancing at Masked Swordmaster who did the same thing with his own hand. Neither of them had spoken a word at all until one of them began to speak up in few seconds later.

"Masked Swordmaster, can I ask you something?" Phantom Angel asked. "It's about a favor this time...between you and me."

"And what's that?" Masked Swordmaster asked curiously.

"Well, once we will get to know each other very much, maybe...oh, I don't know. But can you tell me about your...secret? I mean, if you're ready for this though..."

Masked Swordmaster gulped anxiously as if Phantom Angel was talking about his secret identity. "Uh...um, s-s-secret, you say?"

Phantom Angel nodded. "Y-Yeah...but I don't mean right now though. What I really mean is all in the due time..."

"Oh well, if that's the case, then I will tell you my secret...But in return, you will have to tell me yours. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, I'm okay with that."

While the Duo of Justice were having a conversation, they didn't noticed that Katrina was right behind them. With her eyes began to glimmer, she knew that her prediction would come whenever the time was right for them.


	17. The Sweet Treat Contest

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 16: The Sweet Treat Contest

It was the time when Isabelle confirmed from Jack, the czar of Halloween that they were planning to have the sweet treat contest at the town plaza. She was posting it on the bulletin board so that everybody would read it. According to the contest's information, it would be held at noon in the end of October.

Few days later, Isabelle, Jack, and the Resetti brothers were setting things up for the sweet treat contest. Vicki, Nick, and Serenity were very excited about this that they couldn't wait to enter. Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were very thrilled as the other three were.

"Wow, who would've thought that the sweet treat contest will be this amazing?" Vicki asked excitedly. "I've decided that I'm entering this contest! What about you, Serenity? Lorelei?"

"I'll enter the contest, too!" Serenity replied in confidence.

"Oh, for me, I'm not too sure..." Lorelei answered. "I'm not the type of person who is interested in contests."

"Oh, why is that, Lorelei?" Vicki asked curiously.

"Well, it's because I'm not very good at it, that's all...But instead, I would love to watch you both at the contest."

"Well, that's fine with me. I don't mind at all!"

"We'll all be watching you both at the contest!" Robert exclaimed. "We may never know which one of you will win."

Vicki chuckled lightly. "Actually, Robert, the sweet treat contest requires one pair for each entry, as in two participants in one pair."

"Do you mean in partners?" Nick asked, while Vicki nodded in response. "I didn't realize that..."

"Anyways, Serenity, how would you like to pair up with me?" Vicki asked.

"I will love to!" Serenity answered.

As soon as Vicki and Serenity signed up for the sweet treat contest, they ran into Sammy and Jimmy who were standing right behind them. They were not amazed that the twins were entering the contest, too.

"Hey Vicki, Serenity, entering the contest I assume?" said Sammy.

"Yes, Serenity and I are entering the contest," Vicki answered calmly. "And I'm guessing you two are entering the contest as well?"

"You're darn right we are!"

"Yeah, we're going to win this contest for sure!" said Jimmy in triumph.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see about that..." said Serenity flatly.

"Oh, we shall wait and see alright!" said Sammy proudly. "Anyways, see you at the contest, ladies!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he started to laugh.

After Vicki and Serenity had a chat with the Slapjack brothers, they quickly walked away from them. They rolled their eyes and sighed at the same time. Vicki was looking at her smartphone to see what time it was right now. So, they decided that they should hang out at Vicki's house for a bit.

"We only have one hour left before the contest starts, Serenity," said Vicki. "But first, let's find something suitable to wear for the contest."

"Is that necessary?" Serenity asked.

"For me, it is! Come on, I'll show you the appropriate attire once we'll get to my house."

At the ship, Elly was very bored that she was staring at the ocean waves. She sighed heavily while she was playing around with her fingers. All of the sudden, Charlene ran to find her and gave her the news.

"Hey Elly, guess what I just heard in StarLily," said Charlene excitedly.

"So what?" Elly sighed. "Whatever that is, I am not interested at all!"

"Girl, it's about the sweet treat contest they're having today! And I really need your help right now!"

"Why not ask one of the animal slaves to help you?"

"Oh...about that, Allen got really pissed off that we're losing more than half of them! And this is all the Duo of Justice's fault!"

Elly sighed desperately. "Like, I have to complain about it? Okay! Fine, if you insist, then I might as well help you..."

"Great! Now, here's what we're going to do first..."

One hour later, everybody gathered up in their seats before the sweet treat contest began. The participants were in their positions, along with their partners. Each pair had the kitchen island, ingredients, and utensils for preparations. Finally, Isabelle had an announcement to make for everybody in town.

"Thank you all for coming!" Isabelle announced. "You are all about to see the sweet treat contest! Each participant and his/her partner will be making some sweet treats for Halloween; and they will only have two hours to do that. When the time is up, the judges, including myself, will be taste-testing on each treat. Whoever the pair's treat is the most delicious one, will become the winners!"

Everybody started to cheer and give a round of applause before Isabelle could finish up the announcement.

"Okay, participants, are you and your partner ready for this?" Isabelle continued. "Ready, set, and...let's get started!"

The sweet treat contest began as the participants were setting up the utensils and measured up the ingredients. Vicki added the flour into the mixing bowl along with the other dry ingredients before mixing them altogether. Serenity cracked some eggs and put them into the medium bowl. She mixed them well before adding some wet ingredients. Sammy measured the sugar and dumped it into the mixing bowl. When Jimmy turned on the mixer in high speed, the flour was spilled onto the counter and made a puff cloud in the air. As soon as the twins' faces were covered with flour, everyone, including the participants, began to laugh at them.

One hour later, some participants were just started baking and some were half way done baking. Vicki took out the baking sheet from the oven and placed it on the counter to cool down the treats for a few minutes. Serenity mixed the ingredients to make the frosting for the treats. Sammy and Jimmy were waiting for the treats to finish baking until they began to smell something. They suddenly smelled something burn from the oven so they quickly took out the baking sheet and saw the treats got burned. Some of them were black and some were no ligher than brown.

Less than half an hour away, some participants were decorating the treats and some just got started. When Serenity was done adding the frosting to the treats, Vicki began to decorate with some candies and a bit of icing for the finishing touch. Sammy began to spread the frosting to cover up the dark brown, flawless treats and Jimmy started to decorate them with sprinkles.

The baking has ended, which means it's time for the judges to give each treat a taste test. The participants put their finishing treats on the table and went to their positions. Sammy and Jimmy saw the two girls, who were also participating the contest, standing right next to them. One girl had short, wavy black hair and another had short, straight blonde hair. The boys were starting to wink and click their tongues at them, but the girls found that very bothersome so they grimaced and rolled their eyes. They started to pretend that they were not here at all.

While the judges were taste-testing on each treat, Robert was staring at one of the girls as if he knew her before. He found that very disturbing and felt that his flashback was coming back to him. Nick was looking at him right away and started to interrupt his thoughts.

"Hey Robert, is something the matter?" Nick asked. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine!" Robert answered, as he was pretending that nothing's bothering him. "I was just hoping that Vicki and Serenity will win! Um, which one of these treats is theirs again?"

"I think they made the cookies in different shapes, like the pumpkin and such, big brother," said Lorelei. "You know, the ones Vicki worked so hard to decorate them..."

"Oh, the ones with the cute shapes with decorations! Okay, thanks!"

After Robert completely forgot about his worries, he started to grin while watching the contest. Nick crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him. Darren shrugged as if he didn't care anymore and Lorelei was still recording the video with her smartphone.

Once Isabelle and the other judges were on the female participants' treats, they each took a treat from the plate and took a bite out of it. After they ate it, they made a disgusted look on their faces and began to spit it out. They quickly took a sip of water and moved on to the Slapjacks' treats. As soon as they took a bite out of their treats, their faces suddenly turned blue. One of the judges threw up, another coughed after swallowing it, and the third spat out of it before drinking a water to clean out inside of the mouth.

"Hey, what's wrong with our treats we made?" Sammy asked arrogantly.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Jimmy complained, as he and Sammy grabbed their own treats from the plate and took a bite out of it. Suddenly, they made a disgusted look as their treats didn't turn out right.

"Ugh, our treats are very bad!" Sammy moaned.

"Yeah, they tasted terrible!" Jimmy agreed.

The Slapjacks' faces were turning blue all of the sudden. They knelt down behind the table and began to throw up. The audience and participants began to laugh very lightly, but some would rather not see the nasty scene.

The judges moved on to the final treats, which they were made by Vicki and Serenity. They took a bite from their treats and their expressions became very joyful. They believed that those treats were perfect and delicious that their mouths began to water.

"Oh, these are amazing! said Isabelle happily.

"They are super delicious, shortcake!" said Merengue, the rhino.

"Yummy, I'm giving this sweet treat five stars, pumpkin!" said Jack.

After the taste test was over, it's time for the results from the judges. This time, Jack stepped in and began to reveal the results to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting!" Jack announced. "Here are the results for the sweet treat contest! The winners of this contest are...Vicki and Serenity!"

Vicki and Serenity were very surprised that they actually won the contest. Everybody, including the participants, gave them a big cheer and a round of applause. Isabelle gave two girls the golden trophy so they could rise it up and showed it to the crowd. Sammy and Jimmy were very disappointed that they would never win. As for the two mysterious girls, one of them began to launch her lightning attack and struck them. When Vicki suddenly sensed the approaching attack, she shoved Isabelle and Jack right away and defended Serenity from getting the direct hit. The crowd was in a big shock that they had no idea of what's going on, but Robert knew that something's about to happen all too sudden.

Two mysterious participants revealed their identities in front of the crowd, participants, and judges. They were none other than Elly and Charlene in disguise. Everybody began to gasp in fear, except for Vicki and Robert who knew that those two girls were up to no good. Sammy and Jimmy were very speechless that their words began to tremble.

"B-B-But why?" Sammy sputtered. "Why would you both do this?"

"Y-Yeah, we're starting to fall in love with you at a very first sight..." Jimmy whimpered.

"You think we're interested to the losers, like yourselves?" Charlene laughed. "I call this a joke!"

"Yeah, you two are now rejected!" Elly exclaimed, as she threw the sparks at the Slapjack brothers.

While Sammy and Jimmy screamed and tried to avoid Elly's spark attack, the crowd and the participants began to scream and run away from the chaotic scene. Vicki quickly took the baking sheet and attached it with her star compact on the back. With Serenity behind her, they were reaching out to save the Slapjack brothers from the evil rockstar and the witch princess. Robert was trying to get the crowd away from danger while he was focusing on Vicki's movements and actions.

"I have to watch out for Vicki and the others..." said Robert softly. "Just in case if she or the others will get hurt, I'm right here for them."

When Elly and Charlene were still attacking Sammy and Jimmy, Vicki and Serenity were charging in and protecting the twins from harm. Vicki reflected Elly's attack with the baking sheet and it suddenly bounced back at the villains. They quickly avoided their own attack and got away from it. Sammy and Jimmy wouldn't believe their eyes that no one has ever done it before, especially Robert who was hiding behind the chairs.

"Serenity, get Sammy and Jimmy out of here as you can!" Vicki whispered. "I'll try to distract them while you're at it!"

"Right, and be careful!" Serenity whispered back, as she dragged Sammy and Jimmy by the arms and ran away as they could.

After Serenity took Sammy and Jimmy away from the town plaza, Vicki quickly removed the star compact from the baking sheet and put it in her pocket. Then, she threw the baking sheet at one of the female villains. When Elly got a direct hit, Charlene launched her attack right at Vicki. Before the mayor took a direct hit, she was suddenly saved by the certain person, Robert. Few seconds later, they felt something vibrating between those two while they were holding on to each other. Finally, they slowly looked at each other in a concern way.

"A-Are you alright?" Robert asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay," Vicki answered. "And thanks for saving me."

"N-No problem at all. A-And...can you please get off of me?"

Vicki realized that she was sitting on top of Robert. She blushed very slightly that she completely forgot about it. She quickly got off of him so he could finally stand up.

"Vicki, just run for your life now!" Robert exclaimed.

"But what about you?" Vicki asked.

"Don't worry about me! I'll be alright. Just go now!"

As soon as Vicki left town plaza for her safety, Robert used his wristband to transform into Masked Swordmaster. Charlene whistled to summon the henchmen, including the orange and black cat named Tabby. Masked Swordmaster started off with his fighting stance before he could begin to attack the henchmen.

Vicki had arrived at Main Street and hid behind the buildings so she could transform into Phantom Angel. Then, she flew away from the buildings and headed to the town plaza right away.

Masked Swordmaster was being outnumbered when he tried to fight off against the evil henchmen. Until the light appeared between them, Phantom Angel has finally arrived in order to help him.

"Thank goodness that you're here!" said Masked Swordmaster surprisingly.

"Well, I don't want to miss out all of the action, now do I?" said Phantom Angel.

"Enough talk!" Elly interrupted. "We're still here, you know!"

"Henchmen, attack the Duo of Justice now!" Charlene exclaimed.

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were teaming up and fought against the henchmen. Tabby took out the straw to shoot out the Duo of Justice behind with the tranquilizers, but someone quickly sprayed her with the sleepy formula. Darren caught her while she was asleep and Lorelei was filming the action scene. Both of them disguised themeselves as special agnets and quickly headed to the police station. When Charlene spotted them, she quickly stopped them with her dark magic attack.

"Hey you dirty rats, come back here at once!" Charlene exclaimed, as her attack was heading towards Lorelei and Darren. But Phantom Angel quickly countered it with her halo ring toss.

"Leave them alone, you sinister witch!" Phantom Angel shouted.

"Back off, you angel freak!"

As soon as Charlene attacked Phantom Angel with her dark magic once again, Masked Swordmaster saved the angel from getting the direct hit. They were on the ground and then, looked at each other.

"Are you alright?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Phantom Angel answered. "And thanks for the save!"

"I hate to interrupt between the both of you," Elly interrupted, "but you two are about to get shock!"

When Elly was launching her electric attack at the Duo of Justice, Phantom Angel quickly used her star compact to reverse her attack. The electricity bounced right back at the female villains and got electrocuted.

"Face it, girls!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed. "You just lost the battle, just like you lost the contest! So, leave this town at once!"

"Fine, we will have our revenge next time, lover boy!" Charlene exclaimed. "You and your beloved counterpart will face the ultimate doom that is!"

After Charlene and Elly disappeared, Phantom Angel has no idea of what the witch princess mean by that. But to put that aside, she touched her arm where Masked Swordmaster grabbed her when he saved her life. She suddenly realized that's the same area where Robert grabbed her, in her normal version, in order to save her life. Masked Swordmaster felt his hands and looked at them after he saved Phantom Angel. He remembered the time when he saved Vicki in his normal version and somehow felt the connection between them. Few moments later, the Duo of Justice were looking at each other with their sparkling eyes.

"Um...I have a feeling if you're going to ask the same thing, but who are you really?" Phantom Angel asked curiously.

"Oh, um...I knew you're going to read my mind, but I'm afraid I can't tell you of who I really am right now," Masked Swordmaster replied, without hesitation. "I mean, this is not the right time to do this if you know what I mean..."

"Oh yeah, you're probably right. I'm sorry! Perhaps, whenever the time is right for us then...?"

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "Yeah, that's exactly my point there..."

While the Duo of Justice were having a small chat, they didn't notice that Serena was on top of the town hall. She was watching them from atop, but she has no idea of what they were saying.

The night has come on Halloween, which it could only mean it's time for trick-or-treat or to start the Halloween party. Everyone, in town, wore the costumes for Halloween during nighttime. Vicki was dressing up as the black cat and was waiting for someone at the town plaza. Finally, she saw Robert who was dressing up as the werewolf and came to see her.

"Hi Vicki, sorry I'm late," said Robert. "Have you been waiting for me that long?"

"Hi Robert, I have been waiting for you five minutes now," Vicki replied. "I have something to give you. Here, you can have this."

Robert received the cookies that Vicki and Serenity made during the sweet treat contest. He was so surprised that Vicki gave him the special treats on Halloween.

"Are those for me?" Robert asked, as Vicki nodded in response. "Thank you, but you don't have to do this..."

"Well, think of it as your Halloween gift," said Vicki.

"Wow, that's very kind of you! You know, there's no other girls who are as generous as you..."

"Huh? Y-You really think so?" Vicki blushed slightly.

Robert nodded as he and Vicki were taking a stroll around the town for trick-or-treat. They didn't notice that Neon was on top of the town tree and watching over them.


	18. Guardians' Secret Night Meeting

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 17: Guardians' Secret Night Meeting

During the night, Vicki had a same dream from before. She started to examine the mysterious person in front of her as Phantom Angel. They held hands and stared at each other, even though she couldn't see his face because it was too dark for her to see.

"For some reason, your face was so concealed that I could hardly recognize..." said Phantom Angel curiously. "I want to know of who you are exactly..."

"I would've said the same thing to you as well..." said the mysterious voice, which made Phantom Angel more curious.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"Well, we'll probably see about that. But now, none of us have the answer yet..."

When the morning came, Vicki was finally awakened from her dream. Then, she found herself clutching her own hand without holding onto something. She unfolded her hand right away and touched her palm with her own fingers while looking at it.

"That is so strange..." said Vicki softly. "It felt so real when I was holding his hand. But I don't know whether if this is fate or destiny...Or could they be both actually?"

Robert was awakened from his sleep and found his hand clutching without anything to hold onto. He gently touched his hand with his fingertips while looking at it. Then, he looked up at the window as he was very curious about something.

"Is something the matter?" Neon asked, as he was looking at Robert.

"Hmm? Oh Neon, I was having a strange dream," Robert answered. "It was the dream that I recently have since I came here..."

"Really? Could you tell me about it?"

"Well, it all started when I was looking at the ocean waves in my heroic version. As soon as I turned around, I saw an angel standing in front of the town tree. Although, I can't see her face at all, but I don't know why she looks so...familiar."

"Familiar, you say? When you see the angel in your dreams, doesn't she remind you of someone...particular? Hmm?"

Robert was shock for a bit, but he shook his head all of the sudden. "B-But that's...impossible! I mean, that can't be! Now, I'm not too sure about this anymore..."

In the afternoon, Vicki was sitting at the fountain, eating cheese and crackers. She was sharing some for Serena who was taking one bite from her cracker. Then, she looked down absent-minded as if something was bothering her.

"Vicki, is something the matter?" Serena asked.

"Huh? Oh no, it was nothing really," Vicki answered, as she was pretending that nothing's bothering her.

"Nothing, you say? It looks like 'something' to me! Just tell me what's on your mind!"

"Well, you see, Serena..." Vicki began to explain about her dream to Serena, and it was about the mysterious figure she saw but not a foe this time.

"Ah, I see... About this person you saw in your dreams, can you tell of who he is even if you can't see his face at all?"

"Hmm, I could be wrong, but he looks awfully...familiar to me."

"Familiar, huh? Then, doesn't he remind you of someone in particular?"

"Someone in particular? I'm not certain about that yet..."

In the evening, Robert was taking a shower before he went to bed. He dried out his hair with the towel and saw Neon looking at the window. He was curious of what he was thinking right now.

"Hey Neon, what's up?" Robert asked.

"Oh, I was just...thinking," Neon answered.

"Thinking about what?"

"I'm afraid that doesn't concern to you."

"Why is that?"

Neon didn't answered Robert's question and said, "It's getting late. You should get some rest, okay?"

Robert sighed. "Okay..."

As soon as the midnight came, Neon slowly opened his eyes and looked around the hotel room to see if anyone's still asleep. He quickly jumped out of the couch and used his powers to teleport himself outside of the hotel.

Once Neon was outside, he left Main Street and entered the town. He hid behind the bushes and trees to avoid anyone from being spotted. He suddenly began to sense the presence within the fountain. So, he quickly ran to it and started to investigate it.

"How strange, I sense the presence in that fountain," said Neon. "But how can that be? Who...could that possibly be?"

Suddenly, the light appeared in front of Neon and began to shine. As soon as it disappeared, he saw Serena who was standing on top of the fountain. When she saw him, both of them were very surprised as if they knew each other.

"Serena?!" Neon gasped.

"N-Neon?!" Serena stammered. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I would've asked you the same thing!"

One hour later, Serena and Neon began to explain their situations to each other. One of the two guardians nodded while another started up the explanation. Few moments later, they heard the footsteps approaching. The guardians began to gasp in fear and hid below the fountain. They were spying on Sammy and Jimmy who were glancing at the fountain and saw some bells in the water.

"Look at that, Jimmy," said Sammy. "Who would've thought that the villagers tossed out the bells into the fountain?"

"Who knows, Sammy?" Jimmy asked, as he began to look around for a bit. "What about we take some since no one's looking?"

"Good idea, Jimmy! I would've said that myself!"

Before Sammy and Jimmy snatched the bells from the fountain, Serena quickly used her powers to stop them by clapping her paws. Her magic forced the Slapjack brothers to move away from the fountain. They had no idea of what's going on or what's happening to them. Then, they were forced to dump themselves into the trash can. It was Neon's turn to use his powers by snapping his fingers. His magic made the trash can tipped down and started rolling down the hill which made Sammy and Jimmy screamed. After they were knocked down by the tree, Serena and Neon began to laugh at them.

"Well, that'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget!" Serena grinned.

"Yup, you're telling me," Neon agreed. "But anyways, let's get back to our main topic, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's!"

Few minutes later, Serena and Neon were talking about what's going on with their chosen heroes. Then, their discussion has been revealed that Vicki and Robert were having the same dream somehow. Finally, they were starting to have questions about it.

"So, Robert saw an angel in his dreams, but he can't see her face for some reason?" said Serena curiously.

"That's right," Neon answered. "And I assumed Vicki saw the figure that looks like a knight, but she can't see his face, too?"

"That's exactly what she told me..."

"Hmm, I wonder if their dreams are somehow connected..."

"If what you're saying is true, then what reason could that be?"

"I'm not sure...Whatever that is, there's got to be an explanation!"

The next morning, Vicki was hanging out with Robert at the Roost. They both drank their coffee for a while and glanced at each other. As soon as they were done, they left the Roost and strolled around the town. Until they heard someone talking at the town plaza, they decided to check it out and see what this was all about.

"Folks, you may never believe this!" Sammy explained, while the villagers were listening. "Just listen to this! My brother and I were being dragged by the mystical force! Well, I mean, the ghost! Yeah, that's it! The ghost of the fountain!"

"And that's how we got stuck in the trash can!" Jimmy pointed out.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me, no doy!" said Diana, the deer, as she waved her hooves at the twins.

"Well, I think you're making things up, purr!" said Olivia, the cat.

"Um, what is this ghost you're referring to, Sammy?" Robert asked. "I mean, do you two actually see it at all?"

"Unfortunately, we didn't see it..." Sammy answered. "But we do believe that it is invisible."

"Yeah, it's invisible alright that nobody would actually see it," Jimmy agreed. "Kind of creepy and mysterious, right?"

"Okay, youngsters, you seriously need to take a bath because we can't stand your silly tales and your terrible smell, as if!" said Croque, the frog.

"Yeah, I'd prefer to smell the chocolate cake over your stinky imagination stories, duuude!" said Cole, the rabbit.

After the Slapjack brothers explained everything to the villagers, everyone started to walk away from them because nobody would believe them. Except for Vicki and Robert, who secretly believed them as they were pretending they actually didn't. Vicki thought that it was Serena who did this to them since she was in the fountain this whole time. Robert thought that it was probably Neon, but he could've been mistaken since he was in his hotel room this whole time. But they'd rather forget about it and decided to move onto the different subject.

"So, Vicki, do you want to stop by at my hotel room for a little while?" Robert asked.

"Sure, I would love to!" Vicki answered. "I haven't gone to your hotel room since you first came in StarLily."

"Then, let's go!"

Vicki and Robert were stopping by at his hotel room. As soon as he opened the door, they entered the hotel room before he closed the door. When they sat down on the couch, Neon peeked through the bedroom door and somehow sensed the positive energy so sudden. Robert quickly spotted the dragon guardian and gestured him to get back inside of the bedroom without letting Vicki noticed him. After Neon went back inside and disappeared, Vicki caught Robert acting so strangely.

"Robert, is everything alright?" Vicki asked, as she quickly turned around while Robert was acting normal again.

"Oh yes, everything is fine!" Robert chuckled nervously. "But anyways, are there any plans you have in mind?"

"Um, right now? I don't think so. What about you?"

"Oh, nothing pops up in my mind right now... S-Sorry, I have to ask."

"Oh no, it's fine really! Tell you what! If there's any event coming up on any day, then I will let you know. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

Few hours later, Vicki left Robert's hotel room and decided to go home right away. Before she went back to her house, she quickly went to the fountain and looked around to see if no one's there. So, she brought some pieces of sandwiches from the dining room and left them to Serena. Finally, she went home right away after a very long day.

Serena appeared from the fountain all of the sudden and took a piece of sandwiches to eat. Then, Neon arrived out of nowhere and took another piece of sandwiches as well.

"Hmm, these sandwiches, the hotel made, were pretty good if I do say so myself," said Neon.

"I have to agree," said Serena, as she was starting to change her subject. "Anyways, let's get on with our main topic. You were saying that this Allen person is a bigger threat than Teb?"

"Yes, much bigger! That guy possessed the dark poison crystal, which it is powerful and contains dark energy!"

"The dark poison crystal? Isn't it the one that Blathers and Celeste found from the ruined land before it was stolen from the museum?"

"Yes, but the 'ruined land' they mentioned was the town of Emblem."

Serena gasped. "What? It used to be the town of Emblem before it became in ruins?"

Neon nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so... The owls didn't know that they discovered the dark poison crystal. They put it on display because they thought that they discovered the rarest ore. That was until one of Allen's retainers entered the museum and stole the dark poison crystal."

"What is Allen planning to do with it next?"

"That's a good question! He's planning to do with it for his evil schemes, and I already know two of them. One; Robert and I were weaken by it whenever we saw it or wherever we're getting close by. Two; he used it to turn the animal villagers into his slaves, and they will do as he or his retainers command!"

"Well, that's a big shock! You mean to tell me that the ones, the Duo of Justice took them to the police station, were actually..."

"Exactly! They were the ones from Emblem and are now possessed by evil!"

"Then, isn't there a way to break the evil spell from them?"

Neon sighed heavily. "I wish there is, but I don't really know..."

Suddenly, the dawn was approaching very soon as the guardians' time of their meeting was up. Neon told Serena that they had to keep their conversation in secret and not to tell everyone about it, not even their chosen heroes. Serena kept his word for it before she disappeared. Neon teleported himself back to Robert's hotel room right away.

The next day, Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were at the dining room. They ordered the waiter to get some glass of water. So, he went to the kitchen to get some. All of the sudden, someone smacked him from behind and made him fell unconscious.

Few minutes later, Robert and the others finally got some water from the waiter. Robert noticed that the waiter was a person, not an animal they met before. As soon as the waiter went back to the kitchen, Robert told the others that he had some investigation to do. He went to the restroom and used his pen to disguise himself as a waiter.

Vicki, Nick, and Serenity entered the hotel, which it seemed very quiet than usual. As soon as they entered the dining room, they saw people and animals were in a deep sleep. They tried to wake them up, but none of them had opened their eyes yet. Vicki took a look at the glass of water and began to smell something strange.

"Something tells me that this water is not normal..." said Vicki, as she finally discovered something. "Unless, someone put something in their water and it's not a good one!"

"Well, what now, Vicki?" Nick asked.

"I've got an idea! You guys, it's time to change your outfits right now! Allow me to do the investigating!"

After Nick and Serenity left the hotel to change their outfits, Vicki looked around to see if no one's around. So, she used her star compact and disguised herself as a waitress.

Robert, in his disguise as the waiter, was starting to look around the kitchen. All he found were the workers sleeping on the floor. He tried to wake them up, but they were still asleep somehow. On the opposite side, Vicki, as the waitress, saw the workers were asleep. For some reason, none of them were awake at all. As soon as she and Robert were starting to walk backwards, they bumped into each other and quickly looked at them at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" Vicki and Robert asked surprisingly at the same time. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Vicki, it's very dangerous right now," said Robert. "You should leave here before it's too late!"

"Well, I would've said the same thing to you, Robert," said Vicki. "Just give me the reason why you're here exactly!"

"I hate to interrupt you two, but it's time to put you out of my sight," said the waiter, as he snapped his fingers and the smoke suddenly appeared. He changed his form and turned out to be Lewis.

Vicki and Robert wasn't expecting Lewis to show up by the time like this. But they had to be careful not to reveal their secret identities in front of each other and their enemy. Lewis's henchmen had appeared right in front of them, including the brown bull with white horns named Vic.

"Now, let's get you out of my misery!" said Lewis. "But first things first...Vic, tackle that green-haired girl now!"

"I'm on it, cud!" said Vic, as he charged Vicki out of the kitchen.

"No, Vic, don't listen to him!" Vicki exclaimed, but Vic started to tackle her and pushed her out of the kitchen.

"Oh no, Vicki!" Robert shouted, but he was stopped by Lewis's henchmen from leaving the kitchen.

"Since the girl's out of the way, it's time for me to take you down!" Lewis exclaimed.

"Then, let the fight begin between you and me, Lewis!" Robert tapped his transformation wristband and began to transform. "Knight power action!"

At the dining room, Vicki was finally awakened after she got tackled by Vic. She stood up and looked around to see if no one's there. So, she took out her transformation microphone and started to transform.

"Angelic power action!" Vicki shouted.

Back in the kitchen, Masked Swordmaster was alone fighting off against Lewis's henchmen. After they were knocked down unconscious, Lewis took out the needles from his sleeves and threw them at the white knight. Suddenly, they were countered by the feather tornado. Two guys looked around to see of where that attack was coming from.

"Hey Lewis, didn't someone ever told you not to throw pointy things in front of people?" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"Great, you're finally here!" said Masked Swordmaster happily.

"Back off, Phantom Angel!" Lewis argued, as he threw the smoke bomb at her.

Masked Swordmaster quickly carried Phantom Angel away and left the kitchen before the smoke bomb exploded. He used his cape to cover them; and she summoned her barrier to protect themselves while the smoke was in the effect. As soon as the smoke disappeared, Phantom Angel's barrier vanished and Masked Swordmaster's cape was put aside from each other.

"Are you okay?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay..." Phantom Angel replied, while she was blushing. "W-What about you?"

"Oh, I'm okay as you are right now."

"Hey, I'm not done yet, you know!" Lewis exclaimed.

"Ugh...you, sir, are a one tough guy," said Phantom Angel unenthusiastically.

"And he doesn't give up that easily..." Masked Swordmaster sighed. "But anyways, why don't you let me take care of that bastard while you can take care of the rest?"

Before Phantom Angel could respond, she spotted Nick and Serenity who were dressing up as the doctor and the nurse. They both gave her a nod, and she winked at them. Finally, she glanced back at Masked Swordmaster and gave him the confident smile.

"Alright, I can do that!" said Phantom Angel in triumph. "And don't let that jerk give you a hard time, okay?"

All of the sudden, Phantom Angel gave Masked Swordmaster a big, comfort hug. He blushed slightly while he was glancing at her. Nick widened his eyes that he couldn't believe of what he just saw. Finally, the angel let go of the knight so he could stop Lewis. She immediately rushed to tell Nick and Serenity behind the wall.

"Guys, do you have an antidote that will wake everyone up?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Yeah, right here, sis!" Nick replied, as he showed her the small bottle in his hand.

"Good! One sniff and they will wake up in a split second!"

"Yeah, we'll do it right away!" said Serenity, as she and Nick gave everyone, in the dining room, the antidote.

Masked Swordmaster and Lewis were back in the kitchen after the knight kicked the spy navigator to the kitchen counter. Lewis threw the knives at him, but Masked Swordmaster avoided them very quickly. He started to throw the baking pans at the spy navigator and knocked him silly. Lewis grabbed the pitcher and spilled the water onto the floor. Masked Swordmaster got slipped and almost fell to the floor. He stopped his tracks by hanging onto the refrigerator handle. When he saw Lewis charging right at him, he opened the refrigerator door and slammed him. The spy navigator shook his head and quickly got recovered. He began grabbing the knight's neck and choked him. Masked Swordmaster gasped in pain and coughed so hard that he could hardly breathe.

"You unfortunate fool, do you think you can defeat me?" Lewis asked. "You can't stop me, you know!"

"Don't try to underestimate me!" Masked Swordmaster gasped. "If what Steel Man told me before was true, then what did Allen do to me?"

"I'm not telling you, it's a secret! And that's something you will never know!"

Suddenly, Phantom Angel quietly snuck up to Lewis and hit him with her guardian staff. He collapsed to the ground and Masked Swordmaster's neck was finally released from his grip. She rushed to the white knight who was slipping down before sitting on the floor. She checked on him to make sure if he was still breathing.

"Masked Swordmaster, are you alright?" Phantom Angel asked, as she was worried about him.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..." Masked Swordmaster replied hoarsely.

Phantom Angel turned to Lewis and grabbed his collar furiously. "You there, what did you say to him?! And what secret that you can't tell him?!"

"Oh, you just heard that, huh?" said Lewis, as he shoved Phantom Angel aside. "Look, that doesn't concern to you, okay? Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave for now!"

"Now, wait just a second!"

Phantom Angel tried to stop Lewis, but he suddenly disappeared. She helped Masked Swordmaster to stand up and started to walk together. Once they left the kitchen, Phantom Angel told the doctor and the nurse, who were known as Nick and Serenity, to heal the cooks and servers in the kitchen. So, they did before they sent Vic, who was in a deep sleep, to the police station. Masked Swordmaster couldn't help but to notice that the doctor and the nurse looked oddly familiar to him. Phantom Angel quickly dragged him away from the hotel and went outside to watch the ocean waves together.

"So, what kind of secret is Lewis keeping from you?" Phantom Angel asked.

"It's a very dark one for sure," Masked Swordmaster replied mournfully. "May I ask of why do you want to know so much?"

"Isn't that mysterious? Facing new villains are a lot challenging for me than the ones I met last year! Your villains, my villains..._our_ villains are a lot tougher, don't you think? Especially, they kept their dark secrets that they won't tell us nor let us know about!"

"Hmm, I definitely see what you mean. For instance, if I fight alone, they're unstoppable! Otherwise, with you by my side, they're now stoppable!"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I had in mind..."

While the Duo of Justice were still talking, Nick and Serenity were watching them from behind and nodded at each other. They quickly took Vic to the police station before he started to wake up. On top of the hotel, Serena and Neon were watching the dynamic duo and kept their moment of silence together.


	19. Secret Identities Revealed

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 18: Secret Identities Revealed

Robert drank the coffee carefully at the Roost and thought of something from not too long ago. He remembered the time when Phantom Angel hugged him as Masked Swordmaster. He couldn't point that out of why her actions were so familiar to him. He quickly shook his head and left the Roost right away. As soon as he was outside, he suddenly heard someone singing somewhere in the town. He looked around to see of who sang the song, but he didn't see anyone at all. When the singing voice was getting louder, he accidentally bumped into someone and fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't even looking!" said Robert, as he was looking at Vicki in a split second. "Oh Vicki, are you okay?"

"Yeah, there is no problem really!" Vicki chuckled nervously.

"I'll help you up. Just lend me your hand."

"Okay, thanks."

When Vicki lent her hand to Robert and held onto his, they suddenly felt the vibration once again. They tried not to resist and kept on holding their hands as Robert pulled Vicki up. They both smiled and blushed at the same time.

"Um, may I walk you home?" Robert asked.

"Oh no, I can walk on my own, but I'd really appreciate your offer," Vicki answered.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, see you!"

As soon as Robert went back to the hotel, Vicki sighed in relief because he almost caught her singing off guard. She also has to be careful not to reveal her secret identity in front of him. With that in mind, she was going home right away.

The next day, Robert, Lorelei, and Darren were at Main Street, sitting on the bench. Lorelei and Darren were drinking coffee while Robert was staring at the ocean waves absent-mindedly. They were very curious of what's wrong with him, even Neon was curious about that.

"Robert, is everything alright?" Neon asked. "You haven't said a word since morning..."

"Uh yeah, everything is alright..." Robert replied softly. "It's just that...something's going on in my mind so sudden."

"Oh, like what, big brother?" Lorelei asked curiously.

Vicki was walking to Main Street and saw Robert, Lorelei, and Darren sitting on the bench. But she suddenly saw something else, she saw a dragon right in front of them. When Robert began to sense someone's presence, he quickly turned around and saw no one behind them. Lorelei, Darren, and Neon caught his attention as they started to look at him.

"What's the matter now, Robert?" Neon asked.

"I thought I heard someone's coming this way," Robert answered. Lorelei, Darren, and Neon were looking behind them, but they didn't see anyone at all.

"But there's no one here, Robert," said Darren. "You must've heard the wind."

"I'm not sure about that, dude. But you're probably right..."

After Robert and the others were facing at the ocean waves, Vicki peeked behind the post office without any one of them noticing her. She was standing there and thinking about what she just saw in few seconds ago. She wasn't so sure whether she was hallucinating or it was actually real.

In the afternoon, Serena was eating her biscuit that Vicki gave her. Then, she noticed that her chosen hero sipped her juice absent-mindedly until it was completely empty. She put the empty bottle aside and started to look at the sky.

"Vicki, you seemed very quiet lately..." said Serena. "Is everything alright?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, everything's fine," said Vicki softly. "It's just that...well..."

"Yes? Go on..."

"Well, you see..."

While Vicki and Serena were talking, Robert entered the town and saw Vicki sitting on the fountain. But he suddenly noticed that she's not alone. She's with the dog in the white dress who was sitting next to her. Vicki sensed someone's presence as she quickly turned around, but no one was in sight. Serena caught her attention and asked her about it.

"Is something the matter, Vicki?" Serena asked.

"That's strange, I thought I heard someone coming..." Vicki answered.

"Really? I guess you must've heard the rustling leaves. But anyways, you have some training to do tonight. I'll be at your house in the meantime."

"Yeah, I'll be ready for that."

Luckily, Robert was standing behind one of the trees without getting caught by Vicki or Serena. He wasn't so sure whether he was seeing things or it was real when he saw Serena. He quickly shook his head off and tried to forget all about it.

Later on, Robert was alone and decided to go to the fortune-teller's shop. He went to see Katrina whose eyes were glimmering at him. He began to sit down and wanted his fortune right away.

"Katrina, I will like to have my fortune please," said Robert.

"Very well," said Katrina, as she was starting to chant and reveal his fortune. "Ah, I see it now! After fighting against evil, your ally counterpart will reveal her secret identity to you. In return, you must reveal your secret identity to her as well. That is all for now..."

"Um, okay..." Robert paid the bells to Katrina right away. "Thanks for the fortune you gave me, Katrina."

As soon as Robert left the fortune-teller's shop, he bumped into Vicki who also wanted her fortune. They were so surprised that their eyes began to shine.

"Hey Vicki, I didn't know you are coming," said Robert.

"Hi Robert, I'm surprised that you're here," said Vicki. "I'm about to get my fortune right away."

"Well, I already got my fortune. I don't know if it's obvious."

"Well, it really depends on whether you believe it or not."

"About my fortune? Yeah, you're absolutely right; it doesn't matter whether I believe it or not. Anyways, I'll see you later!

"Yeah, see you!"

After Vicki had a small chat with Robert, she entered the fortune-teller's shop to see Katrina. She sat down before she would get her fortune told while the panther's eyes began to glimmer.

"Hey Katrina, can I have my fortune please?" Vicki asked politely.

"Absolutely, I will tell you right now," Katrina replied, as she was starting to chant before Vicki's fortune was revealed. "Ah, I see it now! You must reveal your secret identity to your counterpart before he will reveal his to you. That is all for now..."

"Oh, um...alright. Whatever you say?" Vicki paid the bells to Katrina before she left the shop.

"Oh, and there's one more thing..." Katrina suddenly stopped Vicki's tracks and took out something from her pocket. "Take this with you just in case..."

Vicki picked up the small bottle from the table, and there's a blue gel pill inside of it. "Um, what's this? And what am I supposed to do with it, Katrina?"

"That's the antidote pill that I made; and you had to let your ally take it just in case if something happens to him."

"Hold on, what do you mean by that?"

"Whenever the new moon will appear, you must let him take it before something terrible happens to him..."

"Okay, I think I get it now! Thanks for the tip, Katrina!" Finally, Vicki left the fortune-teller's shop after she put the bottle inside of her pocket safely.

Vicki was taking a bubble bath when she finally got home. She was thinking of what Katrina said to her right after she got her fortune. Serena suddenly appeared while the mayor was relaxing in her bubble bath.

"Vicki, do you have any idea of how long you've been in the bathtub?" Serena asked. "You've been here for twenty minutes. Just get out of the tub before you will get sick."

"Sorry, Serena, I've been thinking a lot lately," said Vicki. "About what Katrina said to me after I got my fortune."

"Well, what did she say to you?"

"She gave me the antidote pill and told me that I must give it to him just in case if something happens to him whenever the new moon will appear."

"That sounds really serious, is it?"

"It sure is...and it's making me worry a lot."

"Why do you have to worry so much? There's nothing to worry about it right now until the time will come! Right now, it's time for you to get out of the tub!"

"Okay, just give me a shampoo already!"

Serena carried the shampoo from the shelf and gave it to Vicki. She took it from her guardian and squeezed some into her hand. She applied the shampoo into her hair and rubbed it with her hands. She quickly turned on the faucet to rinse off the shampoo from her head. Suddenly, Serena accidentally tipped over the bubble bath into the bathtub. She tried to catch it, but it fell into the water. She dived into the bathtub and looked for the bottle. Vicki began to notice that the bubbles were spreading all over the bathtub, and there were a lot more to come.

"SERENA!" Vicki shouted, as her voice began to echo.

Vicki, Nick, and Serenity decided to stop by at Robert's hotel room. Vicki knocked on the door and Robert opened the door to answer. He let them in before he closed the door behind him.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you brought your brother and his girlfriend to visit us, Vicki," said Robert.

"I hope it is not a problem, is there?" Nick asked.

"Oh no, no problem at all!"

"Well, that's good to hear!"

Robert was looking for his smartphone in his pocket. He suddenly remembered that he left it in his room. So, he went to his room right away to look for it. While his bedroom door was opened, Vicki noticed something on the table. She saw the white feather that was in the small vase. She realized that was the same feather, she gave it to Masked Swordmaster when she was Phantom Angel. As soon as Robert came back from his bedroom, he quickly closed the door behind him. He sat next to Vicki and took a picture of each other with his smartphone.

"How does it look, Robert?" Vicki asked, as she wanted to see the picture that Robert took.

"Looking good!" Robert replied, as he showed the picture to Vicki. "What do you think, Vicki?"

"I think it looks great if you ask me!"

"Ha, I totally agree! Especially, you smell very lovely today! What kind of scent did you put on?"

"Oh, it's the scent of cherry blossoms! Does it remind you of spring at all?"

"Oh yes, it does! It also reminds me of good old times..."

"It sure does!"

At the ship, Mastermind Clown was tapping the glass of water in rhythm with his fork. As soon as he stopped tapping it, he suddenly lost his touch and dropped the fork down. He shoved the glass from the table and broke it on the floor after he began to lose his mind. Charlene walked up to him when she heard the broken glass.

"Clown, what's with all the racket?" Charlene asked.

"S-Sorry, it's just that I'm losing my focus and my mind!" Mastermind Clown answered, as he was getting frustrated that he curled up his hands into fists.

Charlene shrugged. "Well, I guess sorry isn't enough, now is it?"

"Well, I guess not...But I will keep avenge my cousin no matter what it takes!"

Charlene sighed. "Then, go for it! You don't need to tell me twice, you know..."

In the evening, Vicki started to do her training with Serena as her tutor. They were at the basement as Vicki started to meditate with her magic powers surging within. She was concentrating with her mind, body, and soul without any hesitation.

Few moments later, someone knocked on the door. Nick answered the door and saw Robert, Lorelei, and Darren. He told them to come in and have a seat while he was getting Vicki from the basement. He went downstairs and began to interrupt her training lessons.

"Hey sis, sorry to bother you, but you have company!" said Nick.

"Oh, they're here, right now?" said Vicki. "Then, I'll be there in a second!"

"Perhaps, your training is done for today, and I'll see you later," said Serena, as she began to vanish.

Vicki and Nick quickly went upstairs and saw Robert and the others were sitting on the couch patiently. She told her little brother to get some drinks for their guests, and so he did. Then, she sat down next to Robert and had some chat with them.

"So, um, what are you guys been up to recently?" Vicki asked.

"Oh, um, we're just dropping by for a visit," Robert replied. "What about you?"

"Oh, I was just...um...doing some yoga practice."

"Do you really think yoga is hard?" Lorelei asked.

"Well, some are hard and some are simple."

"I see what you mean..." said Robert. "May I ask you something, Vicki? Can you show me your room for just a minute? I mean, if you don't mind that is..."

"Oh, I don't mind at all! I can show you my room right now, Robert!"

"Hey Robert, why do you want to see her room?" Nick asked curiously.

"Oh, I just want to see of what it looks like, that's all," Robert answered.

While Vicki and Robert were heading upstairs to see her room, Nick crossed his arms and was eyeing on him until they reached to the top floor. Vicki opened her bedroom door and showed Robert her room. He was very amazed and thought that her bedroom turned out to be perfect. But he suddenly noticed that her drawer was opened half way and saw the golden rose. He realized that it was the same golden rose he gave it to Phantom Angel while he was Masked Swordmaster. Vicki gasped that she forgot to close her drawer so she did it right away and chuckled nervously at him.

"So, um, what do you think?" Vicki asked nervously.

"Oh, about your bedroom?" said Robert anxiously, as he quickly snapped out of it and paid attention to her. "I think it's really wonderful!"

"Thank you!"

"Uh, Vicki, there's something I have to offer you that I should've given to you before when I first came to your house..."

"Oh, and what's that, Robert?"

Before Robert could say anything, his face was getting closer to Vicki's face. While her cheeks were turning red, they closed their eyes and reached their lips. Until suddenly, someone began to interrupt their moment alone.

"Hey guys, how long have you two been up there?" Nick shouted, from below. Vicki and Robert were very annoyed by his interruption. "Lorelei and Darren said that they're planning to go to Club LOL tonight! Do you two want to come or not?"

"Um, what do you think, Robert?" Vicki asked. "Do you want to join them?"

"Oh yeah, I'd say let's join them," Robert replied.

Vicki, Robert, and the others had arrived at Club LOL. DJ KK started up his music while everyone was dancing to the rhythm. Vicki and Robert, on the other hand, were watching him on stage. All of the sudden, Sammy and Jimmy had enter the club and saw them sitting on the chairs.

"Hey there, Silverwing, Goldberg!" said Sammy.

"Goldstein!" Robert corrected him.

"Same thing, dude! But anyways, why are you two sitting there, instead of dancing like everyone else?"

"Well, we're just watching DJ KK perform, that's all," Vicki answered.

"Whatever! Jimmy and I are going to show you some cool moves!"

"Yeah, unlike last year," said Jimmy.

"Like, that's going to happen..." Vicki sighed, rolling her eyes.

"And no interruptions, please!" said Sammy.

Sammy and Jimmy were beginning to dance in a goofy kind of way. Some paid no attention to them and some began to laugh at them very lightly. Vicki knew that their 'cool moves' were not going to happen and started to laugh at them. Robert shook his head and started to laugh behind their backs. When everyone was still dancing and watching DJ KK playing with the turntable, Dr. Shrunk took out the device and pressed the button to send in the reinforcements. But there was someone, below him, was the REAL Dr. Shrunk who got somehow tied up this whole time.

The performers, came out of nowhere, started to appear on stage. Nobody seemed to be aware of them, not even DJ KK. They started to take out the balloons and throw them to the crowd. Few seconds later, the balloons popped by themselves and everyone began to cough after they breathed the gas from the balloons. Vicki and Robert were shock and realized that the performers were bad guys. When they smelled something strange, they quickly covered their noses with their hands. They both snuck up to the exit and left the club right away. Vicki was heading to the left while Robert was heading to the right. Vicki hid behind the post office and began to transform. Robert went inside of the clock tower before he could transform.

Inside of Club LOL, the phony Dr. Shrunk snapped his fingers and the smoke suddenly appeared. After the smoke disappeared, Mastermind Clown appeared in his true form. His henchmen changed their appearances as well after everyone passed out by the gas of the balloons, including DJ KK who stopped playing the turntable. The clown shoved him aside and took out the record from the turntable. He was going to smash it until someone appeared on stage.

"Hey, don't you dare think about breaking that record, you buffoon!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "Nobody dares interrupt the performance of DJ KK!"

"Girl, you're starting to annoy me these days!" Mastermind Clown grumbled.

"And did I happen to annoy you, too?" Masked Swordmaster asked, as he was standing at the entrance of the club. "Because you're talking to..."

"The Duo of Justice!" said the heroes in unison. "And we're here to stop you!"

"Ugh, you two gave me a quite of headache!" Mastermind Clown exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Henchmen, attack!"

The battle began between the Duo of Justice and Mastermind Clown's henchmen. The evil clown looked up at the ceiling and quietly told his animal slave, who was the dark grey bear cub named Barold, to wait for the signal. When the Duo of Justice finished up beating every last of the henchmen, they were now facing up against Mastermind Clown.

"Surrender now, Clown!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "Just leave this town or else!"

"Okay, duo of crime-fighting brats, you've got me...now!" Mastermind Clown shouted, as Barold started to cut the ropes to release the big sandbag on top of the dynamic duo.

The Duo of Justice were knocked down and fell unconscious by the big sandbag. Mastermind Clown laughed so happily that his plan worked out well. As soon as his henchmen were recovered, he started to tell them of what to do next so they carried them right away.

Several minutes later, the Duo of Justice were finally awakened. They found themselves trapped inside of the big tank. But with their hands tied behind their backs, they quickly stood up and saw Mastermind Clown along with his henchmen and Barold.

"Well, well, you two are finally awake I see," said Mastermind Clown.

"Clown, what are you planning to do with us?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Oh, how do I put it this way? But I'll give you a hint; there's something that fishes have that you don't."

"That sounds like a riddle, not a hint, you clown freakshow!"

"Oh, I bet I know what he's planning to do with us," said Masked Swordmaster. "He's planning to drown us; and here are the two reasons! One; fishes have gills that can breathe water, and two; we don't have gills, which means we can only breathe air!"

Mastermind Clown laughed as he started to clap his hands. "The swordsman has a good point! Once the tank will be filled with water, you two will be drowned! But enough talk! Barold, turn on the water now!"

Barold started up the water and filled up the big tank. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were soaking wet from head to toe. Mastermind Clown, Barold, and the henchmen left them behind while the water was still running. When the water was filled in a quarter, the Duo of Justice were trying to break down the tank with their hard heels. But it was somehow unbreakable, not even a single crack on the glass. The tank was filled in half with water; they tried to catch their last breath as they could until it was filled to the third-quarter. As soon as the tank was now full of water, they held their breath as long as they could. Phantom Angel suddenly remembered about her recent training that Serena taught her. She closed her eyes and began to focus within. The aurora of light surrounded her and began to flash so sudden. After Masked Swordmaster saw this, he quickly closed his eyes right away. Suddenly, the tank started to crack and was now broken that the water was starting to flood. The Duo of Justice could finally breathe air again while they were coughing after choking up some water.

"Here I thought our lives would be over..." Masked Swordmaster sighed heavily. "I don't know how you did it, but thank god the tank was broken that we finally made it out of here."

"Yeah, I'm very glad that we're still alive though," Phantom Angel sighed. "If you can't break down by using your physical attack, just use your magical ability instead."

"That's very impressive...But anyways, let's stop Mastermind Clown and his goons before he's planning to do something rotten! So, just turn around and let me untie you!"

"Uh...but weren't your hands tied behind your back, too?"

"Even my hands were tied behind my back, it takes me a lot of focus to untie someone else's hands like yours. You have to trust me on this!"

Phantom Angel nodded and smiled at her ally. "Okay, I trust you as always, just like I believe in you! Give it a try!"

Phantom Angel turned around so Masked Swordmaster could untie her hands before she could untie his. She had never met anyone who could be so wise like him and came up with an idea like that. If there's anyone who she could rely on this whole situation, it's her ally. While Masked Swordmaster was trying to untie her hands, he began to sniff something very lovely from Phantom Angel. The scent was very familiar to him as if he knew of what it was or where it came from. After her hands were finally free, it was her turn to untie his hands.

Back at Club LOL, Mastermind Clown, Barold, and the henchmen were taking over since Dr. Shrunk was the only one who got tied up. As for the crowd, they were in the zombie zone while they were standing there and did nothing at all. The evil clown took out his horn and started to honk. That was until the Duo of Justice were here to stop their villains.

"Not so fast, Mastermind Clown!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "What are you planning to do with the crowd?"

"Why, to take them to the ship that is!" Mastermind Clown answered.

"I'm afraid they're not going anywhere with you, clown face!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed.

"Oh, we'll see about that! Men, get them!"

The Duo of Justice were starting to fight off against Mastermind Clown's henchmen once again. The evil clown was heading to the exit and started honking with his horn. But Phantom Angel quickly stopped him and his horn with her boomerang attack. When the horn was broken in half, the crowd fainted and collapsed to the floor. Barold took the record and began throwing it at the angel, but Masked Swordmaster quickly stopped him and put him in the flour sack. Mastermind Clown was now outnumbered, but that wouldn't stop him. He took out the hoops and threw them at the heroes. Masked Swordmaster slashed them with his sword and Phantom Angel used her heavenly light attack at the clown. After he was down, he stood up and wobbled a little.

"You pesky duo, you may have defeated me, but I'll be back for revenge next time!" Mastermind Clown exclaimed, as he suddenly disappeared.

Masked Swordmaster untied Dr. Shrunk right away while Phantom Angel woke Nick and Serenity up with the wake up formula. She quickly told them to get change before starting the show; and so they're heading to the backstage. Masked Swordmaster tried to wake Lorelei and Darren and told them to send Barold to Booker and Copper in their different outfits.

After Nick and Serenity got their costume change, they were on the stage and brought the instruments with them. They started to play the music and Phantom Angel was ready to sing the song. While she was singing, the crowd began to wake up all of the sudden and started to dance. Lorelei and Darren returned from the police station and saw everyone cheering and dancing at the same time. But that's not all they saw, they noticed that Masked Swordmaster was standing behind the crowd, closing his eyes and smiling while listening to the song. When Phantom Angel was done singing the song, everyone gave her a round of applause. Finally, she spotted DJ KK who was fully recovered from Mastermind Clown's gas.

"Thank you, everyone!" Phantom Angel announced. "And here's your favorite dog performer, DJ KK!"

While the crowd was applauding at DJ KK, Phantom Angel left the stage and Masked Swordmaster held her hand as they left the club together right away. Nick and Serenity were very curious of where they're going and so did Lorelei and Darren. So, they quickly surpassed the crowd and left the crowd immediately.

Nick and Serenity were searching for the Duo of Justice anywhere in Main Street and in StarLily, but they were nowhere in sight. When they were leaning against the wall to take their break, they suddenly heard someone talking from above the building. They looked up and found the dynamic duo on top of it. But they didn't notice that Lorelei and Darren who were also leaning against the wall until they spotted each other.

"W-What are you two doing here?!" Nick and Lorelei asked surprisingly, as they were pointing at each other. Serenity and Darren quickly shushed them and whispered them to be quiet so they could listen of what the Duo of Justice were saying.

"You know, you were great on stage," said Masked Swordmaster. "The way you sing, the crowd is starting to have high spirits."

"But I can also heal them while I was singing," said Phantom Angel. "To remove any bad signs, like Mastermind Clown's gas, from the crowd if you know what I mean."

"Yeah...healing from any bad signs. I think I know what you mean. I would've thank you for healing me before when I was under Elly's control. Not only that, your healing song had also given my strength and senses back in hundred percent! That would've explained everything of how I got them back and feel much better now!"

"Um yeah, I'm very glad that you're back in shape and all! But I think we should call it a night then?"

Before Phantom Angel was about to leave, Masked Swordmaster quickly stopped her by grabbing her arm. She suddenly turned around and looked at him in a very serious way.

"Wait, there is one more thing I have to ask..." said Masked Swordmaster. "Phantom Angel, when you said we'll get to know each other before revealing our secrets, am I right?"

"Ah yes, what about it?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Well...I think we already know each other long enough now."

"Um, what do you mean by that?"

Masked Swordmaster looked directly at Phantom Angel's brown eyes with his blue eyes up close. This made her a bit nervous that their eyes began to lock up at each other.

"N-Now that you mentioned it, I have a suspicious feeling about you as well..." said Phantom Angel, "just like you're very suspicious about me, right?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind," said Masked Swordmaster. "Since there's nobody around us, can I ask you kindly to remove your mask so I can see your face please?"

Phantom Angel nodded as she quickly looked around to see if nobody's present before removing her mask. Behind her mask, Masked Swordmaster saw her face that looked awfully familiar, but with her make-up on.

"I don't believe this..." said Masked Swordmaster surprisingly. "Vicki?! I didn't realized that you're Phantom Angel this whole time until now!"

"I certainly am..." said Phantom Angel softly. "Now that you know my secret identity, I want to find out who you really are behind that mask of yours. Unless if my hunch is correct though..."

Masked Swordmaster sighed as he removed his mask from his face. Phantom Angel was surprised that his familiar face was revealed. He slowly opened his blue eyes and looked at her directly after his mask was off.

"Robert, is that really you?!" Phantom Angel asked. "I'd never realized that you're Masked Swordmaster this whole time!"

"Yeah, tonight's full of surprises if you ask me," said Masked Swordmaster.

"Yeah, tell me about it! It's, like, we're both carrying the heroic bloods..."

"And this is the main reason why we're chosen as heroes!"

"That's exactly what I had in mind! But how do you found out who I really am, Robert?"

"I would've asked you the same question, Vicki..."

Before the Duo of Justice began their explanation to each other, they didn't realized that their own siblings and best friends were below the building and overheard everything. Their faces were pale, their jaws were dropped, and their eyes were wide-opened. Lorelei and Darren learned that Phantom Angel was really Vicki; and Nick and Serenity learned that Masked Swordmaster was really Robert this whole time. They squatted down and moved away from the building very quickly and quietly before the dynamic duo spotted them. Nick whispered to the others that they had to pretend not to overhear everything from them while they're at it, and so Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren agreed with him. Finally, they mananged to leave the Duo of Justice alone for the night.


	20. Love, Hero Style

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 19: Love, Hero Style

After the Duo of Justice explained everything of how they knew their secret identities to each other, they put their masks back on and saw the bright moon. They had to warn each other not to tell anybody about their recent discussion, not even their own siblings.

"Don't let Nick get in your way, Robert," said Phantom Angel. "Well, you know how he is, he's a bit cunning and stubborn sometimes. He may be a pushover and overprotective, but he's a friendly guy. You know my little brother..."

"Yeah, I know," said Masked Swordmaster. "But I have to warn you about Lorelei. Do you remember when I said she's a paparazzi type? Well, she takes pictures and record videos while we're fighting evil, just like back in Emblem. You know how crazy my little sister goes..."

"I believe she's too excited about doing this, as if she was a director of the film that is!"

"Yeah, but I'm serious! She can't stop doing that, and I think it's too embarrassing!"

"I don't think it's embarrassing at all. I think it's very interesting!"

Masked Swordmaster cleared his throat while scratching his head before he put his hat back on. "Okay whatever, but I think it's getting late..."

Phantom Angel carried Masked Swordmaster and flew down from the building. As soon as they slowly landed, their noses were touching each other. Phantom Angel blushed slightly while she and Masked Swordmaster sighed very softly. Finally, they changed back to their normal versions after they slowly moved away from each other.

"I guess I'll see you later," said Robert.

"Yeah, see you..." said Vicki softly.

Vicki and Robert were parting ways and went straight to their homes. Robert couldn't help but to smile while he was looking at her. Vicki placed her hands on her chest as her heart was starting to beat while she was blushing. But none of them realized that their guardians, Serena and Neon were watching over them.

"So, their secret identities were revealed to each other," said Serena calmly. "I wonder what's going to happen after that..."

"Who knows?" Neon asked. "We may never know that...whether it's about to get changed or not..."

The next day, Robert was doing the sit-ups at the gym. When he was done with that, he grabbed the towel and wiped off the sweats from his forehead. Suddenly, Nick and Darren were staring at him up close and made him startled.

"Hey Robert!" said Nick and Darren slyly.

"Hey Nick, Darren, what are you two up to?" Robert asked.

"Oh, we were just doing some workout..." Nick replied calmly.

"Oh really now? I don't see you guys doing that much, but just a little for sure..."

"Um yeah, that is true alright," said Darren. "But we'd rather do the workout with you if that's okay..."

Robert raised an eyebrow at Nick and Darren and smiled. "Okay, I have no complaints whatsoever."

Meanwhile, Vicki was sitting at the town tree and started to draw a picture. As soon as she stopped drawing, she hugged her sketchbook and sighed heavily. She closed her eyes and blushed very slightly that she couldn't help but to think about Robert. Ever since they revealed their secret identities to each other, she had a crush on him for some time. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lorelei and Serenity in a surprise way.

"Hi Vicki!" said Lorelei and Serenity in unison.

"Oh hey Lorelei, Serenity!" said Vicki surprisingly. "W-When did you two get here?"

"Just now, silly," Lorelei answered.

"That's right, we couldn't help but to see you daydreaming," said Serenity. "So, um...Vicki, what were you daydreaming about? Hmm?"

"What?! I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" said Vicki anxiously, while she was blushing slightly.

"Oh, come on, Vicki!" said Lorelei, narrowing her eyes at the mayor. "Don't try to deny it, and we all know that!"

Vicki started to moan very loudly that she covered her face with her sketchbook. Whether she might tell her friends or not, she was way too embarrass to speak in front of them.

At the ship, Allen was sitting on the chair and watched the hologram sphere on the palm of his hand. When he learned that Phantom Angel was actually Vicki, he suddenly crushed the sphere and made it disappeared. He took the box and opened it where the dark poison crystal was held. He attached the crystal onto the necklace before he was wearing it. Until Buster came before him, he glanced at him while he was standing up from his chair.

"Ah, Buster, I have a request for you," said Allen.

"What kind of the request do you have in mind, sir?" Buster asked.

"Well, you see...I want those dynamic duo separated from each other! Do you understand?"

"I understand, but how will I ever want to do that?"

"It's just plain simple, you have to capture one of them as your hostage and another will be out of your way. Got it?"

"Got it, sir!"

As soon as Buster left, Allen began to smirk while his eyes were glowing red.

Back at StarLily, Robert was throwing punches at the punching bag while Darren was holding it. As soon as he was all worn out, he grabbed the towel and wiped off the sweats from his forehead. Nick was very amazed that Robert was training very well. He remembered the time when Vicki started to train her fighting skills. Since he was her opponent, he wore something that could protect himself from getting hurt. So that way, she could practice on her fighting skills. At the beginning, it didn't turn out very well until she's getting improved later on. That's how Nick pictured it, compared to Robert's.

"Dude, your training is finally paid off!" said Nick. "I'm very impressed by your skills!"

"Oh, it was nothing, Nick," said Robert. "You know, your sister, Vicki is very admirable since I first met her."

"Oh, really? Like, how so?"

"Well, do you remember when you said she was single?"

Nick was glancing at Darren for a second before glancing back at Robert. "Yes, I did say that. So? Wait, do you really mean that you're...?"

Robert sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that's right! So Nick, since you're her brother, what did she like the most? Because I want to give her something special or something that will surprise her."

"Ah, that's a good question. Let me think..."

While Nick was thinking of what Vicki liked the most, someone interrupted his thoughts by burping out loud. He and the others were looking to see of where the burp was coming from. It appeared that it was none other than Sammy who was doing that.

"Well, well, it looks like one of you finally found yourself a girlfriend," said Sammy slyly.

"Yeah, I wonder who could that be," said Jimmy curiously.

"Sammy, Jimmy, that's none of your business, okay?" said Robert, being annoyed.

"Oh, don't be like that, Goldenboy."

"It's Goldstein!" Robert rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, man! Anyways, if you want the girl, you love, to attract you, just be a man."

"Oh well, if you think you're a love expert, why don't you show us how?" Darren asked, while Robert and Nick agreed.

"Alright then, fine with me, Darry-boy!" Sammy pulled up his jacket over his head and started to make up the poem in his own words. "Roses are red; violets are blue; as if the mayor was a fool, then so are you!"

When Sammy was about to remove his jacket from his head, he got stuck somehow. Jimmy tried to help him out, but they ended up falling onto the floor. Robert, Nick, and Darren started to laugh at the twins before starting up their own poem.

"Roses are red; violets are blue; everyone thought that the twins are very attractive...Not!" Robert, Nick, and Darren laughed, as they couldn't help but to joke around at the Slapjack brothers.

Later on, Vicki was looking her best to attract Robert before she entered the hotel. When she heard the noise that was coming from the entrance, she quickly hid behind the buildings and took a peek of who that was. She saw Buster and his henchmen were heading straight to the hotel. She started to text Robert and warned him that the heavy-armored guy was heading there. After she sent him the urgent message, her heart was starting to beat and placed her hands on her chest while she was blushing slightly.

Buster and his henchmen had crashed into the hotel with the Egyptian cat, Ankha joining them. Every animal began to scream and run away from the villains. Even Sammy and Jimmy who drank their sodas and started to run away after they dropped them while they were screaming. Buster's henchmen were starting to crash the hotel high and low.

After Vicki transformed into Phantom Angel, she went behind the hotel and blocked the back door. Few seconds later, someone pushed the door by force and made her slammed to the wall. When the two henchmen found the angel being knocked silly, they captured her and brought her to Buster. Phantom Angel was struggling to get those henchmen off of her, but instead, she was dragged into the hotel.

As soon as Robert transformed into Masked Swordmaster, he quietly looked down and spotted Buster at the lobby. But that's not all, he saw Phantom Angel being dragged by two henchmen.

"Oh my, what's a good girl, like you, doing in a bad situation like this?" Buster smirked. "But that's not important anyways... Tie her up, men!" His henchmen started to tie Phantom Angel's hands behind her back before he realized something. "Wait a minute! If that angelic princess is here, then that means her knight in shining armor must be close by! Well, is he not?"

"That's right, Buster!" said the familiar voice, as everyone turned around to see of who it was. They suddenly saw Masked Swordmaster who jumped down to the floor.

After Buster's henchmen tied Phantom Angel up, they pushed her aside to the floor and began to attack Masked Swordmaster. The angel couldn't fight because her hands were tied behind her back; all she could do now was watch the fight between her ally and their enemies. Buster hid behind one of the posts and waited for the right time to give his foe a surprise attack. When Masked Swordmaster was done with the henchmen, he rescued Phantom Angel right away until she started to warn him.

"Masked Swordmaster, look out behind you!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, as Masked Swordmaster turned around and saw Buster standing behind him. He hit him with his club and knocked him to the floor unconscious.

After the fight was over, Buster's henchmen were fully recovered from their beatings. Ankha came out from one of the posts and walked up to Phantom Angel who was still tied up.

"Well now, the big question is what to do with our enemies?" Buster asked, as he was trying to think of something until he came up with an idea. "Aha! I know exactly what to do! For now, let's leave Phantom Angel tied up and decide her own fate. As for Masked Swordmaster, find the big crate as you can so we will dump him into the lake!"

About an hour later, Buster's henchmen were ready to push the crate where Masked Swordmaster was in. While one of his henchmen held onto Phantom Angel, she was struggling to lose his grip and stopped the madness right away. But the henchman's grip was stronger than she expected, and it was no use for her to stop Buster's evil plan. As soon as the henchmen pushed the crate into the lake, Phantom Angel was struggling really hard than before. She wanted to save Masked Swordmaster so badly, but the henchman's grip was too hard to release her. After Buster waved goodbye to the unconscious knight in the lake, he cackled happily that his plan has finally worked out well.

"Ha ha! Since that muscle-brained knight was out of the way, it's time for my master to take over this town!" Buster exclaimed, as he turned to Phantom Angel who was still struggling and angry at him. "And as for you, sweetheart, don't even think about trying so hard! Let's face it, he's drowning now; and you will see the last of your bodyguard! Ha ha ha! What are you going to do about it, hmm?"

Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were hiding behind the town tree and spying on the villains who captured Phantom Angel. While they were waiting for them to leave, they needed to come up with the plan in order to get Masked Swordmaster out of the lake first.

"That bastard has no right to send Masked Swordmaster into the lake!" Nick growled. "And he even got my big sister as his hostage!"

"Dude, I know how you feel!" said Darren. "But first, we've got to save my best friend! Then, we'll save her in no time!"

"Darren's right, Nick," Lorelei agreed. "We have to get my brother out of the lake right away. Otherwise, we're too late, and he would've died..."

"Guys, they're gone now!" Serenity exclaimed. "Let's hurry and rescue Masked Swordmaster now!"

After the bad guys were gone, everyone ran to the lake to save Masked Swordmaster. Nick and Darren dived into the lake while Lorelei and Serenity were waiting for them to come out. As soon as the boys swam to the bottom of the lake, they found the crate where Masked Swordmaster was trapped in. Luckily, Darren got the rope and tied the crate around so he and Nick could pull it up. Then, they swam back up on land with the other end of the rope and started to pull really hard. It took them about a couple of minutes to get the crate back on land. When it finally rose up to the lake, Lorelei and Darren thanked Nick and Serenity for their help in need. It's time for them to save Phantom Angel while Lorelei and Darren quickly opened the crate and found Masked Swordmaster who was still alive.

"Lorelei, Darren, I don't know how you found me, but thank you for getting me out of here..." said Masked Swordmaster breathlessly, after he took out the snorkel mask from his mouth and changed it back into the pen.

"Oh yeah, it was nothing really, big brother," said Lorelei. "We're very glad that you're okay."

"Yeah, of course I'm okay..." Suddenly, Masked Swordmaster just realized something in his mind. "Oh no, Phantom Angel...Buster has her in captive! I need to save her now; and you two should stay put!"

Masked Swordmaster quickly got out of the crate and rescued Phantom Angel. Lorelei and Darren realized that Nick and Serenity were on their way as well to set her free. So, they quickly and quietly followed the white knight without any distractions.

Meanwhile at the clock tower, Buster was thinking of a way to make a deal. With Phantom Angel still tied up and grabbed by one of Buster's henchmen, she has no other way to get herself free. Nick and Serenity had arrived and dressed up as ninjas. They quietly saw Buster and his henchmen and found Phantom Angel as his hostage.

"What do we do now, Nick?" Serenity whispered.

"Hmm, that's a good question..." Nick whispered back. "Ah, let's see...one of the henchmen had Phantom Angel on hold. We need a way to distract him, but how exactly?"

"Oh, I know!"

While the henchman was holding onto Phantom Angel very tightly, he noticed something rolling down in front of him. He suddenly let go of her and picked up the marble from the floor. As soon as he looked at it, it automatically sprayed the gas in front of his face and made him fell asleep. Buster and his other henchmen checked to see of what's happening and pushed Phantom Angel aside. While nobody was looking, Nick and Serenity quietly approached to her and untied her hands very quickly.

"You guys are finally here!" Phantom Angel whispered happily.

"Of course, we are here!" Serenity whispered. "We're here to rescue you from those goons!"

"Yeah, we can't let that bastard held you as his hostage, now can we?" Nick whispered.

"Oh no, not ever!" said Phantom Angel quietly. "Now, let's get out of here before we'll get caught!"

When Nick and Serenity agreed with Phantom Angel, they quickly and quietly made their getaway. Until Buster caught them making their escape, he quickly told his henchmen to stop them. Phantom Angel told Nick and Serenity to run for their lives. She quickly tried to stop the henchmen by knocking down with the lumber, but it turned out to be a failure. They immediately grabbed her, Nick, and Serenity from their escape.

"Well, I've never imagined that the angel has brought her spy alliance," said Buster. "Very well! As soon as both Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster had already face their doom, how would you both like to join them as well?"

"You're going to pay for what you did to Masked Swordmaster, you boulder creep!" said Phantom Angel angrily, as she almost kicked Buster to the chest.

"'You're going to pay for what you did to Masked Swordmaster, you boulder creep!'" said Buster mockingly, in a high-pitched voice. "Oh, that's what you said, you spunky angelic hipster!"

Suddenly, the missile came out of nowhere and hit the bell. Everyone turned around and saw Masked Swordmaster who had finally arrived just in time with his guardian cannon. They were very surprised that he was still alive, except for Buster who was very frustrated about his presence.

"Buster, tell your henchmen to let them go now!" said Masked Swordmaster angrily.

"Oh, why should I?" Buster asked, crossing his arms.

"Because if you don't, then I'll blast you with my cannon!"

"Fine, I'll signal them to let them go!" Buster snapped his fingers so his henchmen released Phantom Angel, Nick, and Serenity. But he quickly grabbed the angel by the arm and held her after she was released from his henchman. "But on one condition, this cutie pie's life will be spared _if_ you turned yourself in!"

"Wait, what?!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, while she was struggling.

"What is that maniac try to tell him?" Nick asked curiously.

"I don't know..." Serenity replied.

"Masked Swordmaster, whatever Buster is planning to do with you, just don't do it!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"Just stay out of this, you nosy angel!" Buster growled, holding the angel tightly.

"Alright, Buster, you win..." said Masked Swordmaster, without hesitation. He put away his guardian cannon and surrendered his life to Buster.

"What? Is he serious?!" Nick asked shockingly.

"No, Masked Swordmaster!" Phantom Angel shouted. "No!"

After Masked Swordmaster made his risky decision, Buster let Phantom Angel go as he kept his word and his henchmen grabbed the white knight by the arms. Until he made a sly grin, he had them fooled and attacked them right away. Phantom Angel was so relieved that her ally was just playing a prank in front of their enemies, even Nick and Serenity wouldn't believe their eyes. But to put that aside, they grabbed Ankha right away and sent her to the police station before Buster or his henchmen found out about this. As soon as Masked Swordmaster was through with the henchmen, he drew his sword and attacked Buster. Their weapons clashed on each other and both opponents gave each other a mean look. Few moments later, Masked Swordmaster pushed Buster by kicking his stomach and unleashed his attack.

"Sword ray of light!" Masked Swordmaster called, as his sword released the light power and attacked Buster directly. It also sent him away to the ocean.

After Masked Swordmaster got rid of Buster, he noticed that Phantom Angel was sitting there without any bit of action. She smiled daintily at him, and he smiled back at her. So, he sat next to her and made sure if she's okay.

"Hey, are you alright?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright," Phantom Angel replied. "I was so worried that you're going to turn yourself in to Buster..."

"But I seriously didn't, I had him and his henchmen fool by giving them a surprise attack."

"Oh, just like he gave you before, right?"

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "Exactly, but in my own way though... Come on, I'll help you up!"

Phantom Angel held onto Masked Swordmaster's hand as an offer, and then they stood up together. When she let go of his hand, her heart suddenly started to beat very fast, and she quickly placed her hands on her chest. Her cheeks were starting to blush very slightly as her face was now turning red all over as if she was feeling embarrassed. Masked Swordmaster hadn't seen her acting this way before.

"What's the matter?" Masked Swordmaster asked. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I-I am..." Phantom Angel replied, feeling uncomfortable as if her heart was struck by something. "But there's something I have to ask you..."

"And what's that?"

"How do you feel about me right now?"

Masked Swordmaster was speechless when he heard Phantom Angel's question. "T-That sounds like a...personal question. I-I don't know where to begin, but I'll make this long story short. But first, can we go somewhere more...um, viewing?"

"Oh yeah, I would love that..."

The Duo of Justice were walking to the town plaza and watching the moonlight glow. Masked Swordmaster started to explain Phantom Angel about how he felt about her. It all started when they first met, in their normal versions, since he, Lorelei, and Darren had arrived in StarLily. Then, he rescued her for the first time, in their heroic versions, after Steel Man captured her. In their normal versions, they're having a picnic together, celebrating their birthdays and other occassions, and got to know each other alot. In their heroic versions, they started to team up in order to fight evil, protecting the town, people, animals, and even each other from danger, and finally revealing their secret identities to each other. That was the end of Masked Swordmaster's explanation to Phantom Angel.

"Now, I'm starting to fall in love with you, Vicki," said Masked Swordmaster. "That is how I feel about you. There is no other girl who's as adorable as you."

"Oh, Robert..." Phantom Angel sighed, while she was still blushing. "My thoughts are exactly the same as yours. When I first met you, it feels as though that love is in the air for me. Ever since you saved me for the first time, I feel my heart is starting to beat so sudden. And now, it's starting to tell me that I have to confess my love to you! Isn't that a-?"

Before Phantom Angel could say any more, Masked Swordmaster wrapped his cape around her and started to kiss her on the lips. While they were kissing each other passionately, Phantom Angel wrapped her arms around him and Masked Swordmaster touched her hair with his fingers very lightly. The duo didn't realized that Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were watching them. They were hiding behind the trees and bushes while Lorelei was starting to take a picture of the Duo of Justice kissing each other. She and Serenity started to giggle when they were looking at it. Nick and Darren had their mouths opened as well as their eyes were wide-opened. So, the moonlight shone very brightly and the shooting star appeared in the beautiful night as the dynamic duo's wishes came true.


	21. The New Moon's Curse

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 20: The New Moon's Curse

At the ship, Allen was staring at the town of StarLily. For some reason, it reminded him of Emblem before it became a destruction. Then, Charlene appeared and came to see him. She was standing next to him and held his hand.

"Allen, is something the matter?" Charlene asked.

"Well, how do I put it this way?" Allen asked, before he could answer her question. "Do you ever recall the time when Masked Swordmaster made his debut speech?"

"From last year, you mean?"

"Yes..."

"Ah! Now that you mentioned it, I do remember that time!"

It took place in Emblem one year ago, Charlene disguised herself as a normal, sweet villager. Masked Swordmaster couldn't help but to lay eyes on her. He began to fall in love with her as he took her hand, and they both glanced at each other while they were smiling. Lorelei made a heavy sigh and Darren scratched his head and bit his lip. When they saw Charlene wrapped her arms around Masked Swordmaster and their faces were getting closer to each other, their eyes were wide-opened and their jaws began to drop. Lorelei furiously dragged Darren out of the party as if they didn't want to see of what's going to happen next.

"Oh, one moment..." said Charlene, with the fake accent. "You don't mind if I can add my lipstick on my lips, now do you?"

"Why, of course not!" Masked Swordmaster replied. "G-Go right ahead!"

"Thank you! I'll be right back!"

Charlene left the party and went straight behind the wall. She checked to see if nobody's looking and continued to walk through the hallway. She immediately saw Allen, who was standing against the wall, waiting for her. He gave her the red lipstick which it looked like the ordinary one but with the dark spell. He also gave her the tube which it has the tiny, black shard inside of it.

"Don't forget to add the dark poison crystal in his drink, got it?" Allen smirked.

"Oh, I won't forget about that, Allen," said Charlene, with the real tone of her voice. "I'm getting to that real soon!"

As soon as Charlene went back to the party, she quickly applied her cursed lipstick first. Then, she grabbed two cups of juice from the table and put them aside. She quickly looked around to see if nobody's looking once again before she added the dark poison crystal into one of the two drinks. As soon as it disappeared, she was now ready to serve the drinks to herself and Masked Swordmaster.

"Sorry for making you wait that long," said Charlene, with the fake tone. "I was about to grab a drink for you just in case if you're thirsty."

"That's okay, it's very kind of you to offer me a drink," said Masked Swordmaster, as Charlene gave him a drink which it contained the dark poison crystal that he couldn't even sense it. So, he quickly drank the juice and threw the empty cup into the trash can.

"Oh, there is one more thing that I have to give you."

"And what could that be?"

Charlene pulled Masked Swordmaster up close and gave him a kiss. When Lorelei and Darren came back to the party, they caught them kissing each other. Darren wouldn't believe his eyes and Lorelei has her jaws dropped. Charlene and Masked Swordmaster let go of each other and caught their breaths at the same time. Suddenly, he felt a bit dizzy as he quickly shook his head. Finally, it was time for him to make his speech so he went up stage right away.

"Hello everybody, and thank you for joining the party!" Masked Swordmaster announced, while everybody began to listen to his speech.

Few minutes later, everybody gave Masked Swordmaster a round of applause after he was done making his speech. As soon as he left the stage, he was starting to feel a bit dizzy. Everything was starting to get blurry for him, and he suddenly collapsed on stage. Some animals gasped in fear while others started to scream in panic. Lorelei and Darren rushed to the white knight and checked on him to see if he's alright.

"Masked Swordmaster, are you alright?" Lorelei asked softly.

Masked Swordmaster didn't respond and started to groan in pain. He began to breathe heavily and the sweats were dropping from his forehead. Darren placed his hand on his forehead and felt it was heating up.

"Whoa, he's getting burn up now, Lorelei!" said Darren anxiously.

"B-But that can't be!" Lorelei trembled. "How did this happen?!"

Charlene quickly left the party before someone realized that it was her fault and joined Allen by his side. She changed her true form and stared at the new moon through the window before they left the building.

When Charlene's flashback ended, she was now focusing on the current time. She held Allen's hand, and he gave her a kiss. They both stared at the crescent moon, which it became very thin.

"Speaking of the nemesis, what's going to happen to Robert when the new moon appears tomorrow night?" Charlene asked.

"Oh, I think you already know what's going to happen next," Allen answered, as he began to laugh maniacally.

The next day, Lorelei and Darren left their bedrooms as they were ready to go out some places. But they noticed that Robert hasn't come out from his bedroom. So, they entered his bedroom to see if he's alright. Then, they saw him still in his bed and started to moan in pain while Neon was watching over him.

"Neon, what's wrong with Robert?" Darren asked. "Is he sick?"

"I'm afraid it's more than that..." Neon answered dreadfully.

"W-What do you mean?" Lorelei asked in panic.

"Do you two remember the time after Robert made his speech last year?"

"Oh! Now that you mentioned it, how can I forget that?"

"Yeah, we do remember that, Neon," said Darren. "What about it?"

"Well, it seems as though that someone put a darker spell on him," Neon explained. "And I believe this was Allen's doing!"

"Oh, that creep!" Lorelei exclaimed. "How could we not see that coming? And how did he do it exactly?"

"Allen must've send one of his retainers to do the work for him."

"Well, isn't there a way to break a spell from my brother, Neon?"

"Hmm, I may not know the answer to your question, Lorelei, but I believe someone knows how exactly..."

Vicki was lying down at the town tree and watching the snow fall from the sky. She couldn't imagine that Robert kissed her for the first time in their heroic versions. Ever since they fell in love with each other, she couldn't stop thinking about it. That was until Nick began to interrupt her from her best moment.

"Sorry to interrupt your daydream, sis," said Nick. "But Lorelei came to see me in few minutes ago and wanted me to tell you that Robert was not feeling well today."

"Oh my, that sounds serious!" said Vicki. "I'll go pay him a visit right now!"

Nick tried to say something else to Vicki, but she quickly stood up and rushed to the hotel right away. He sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head.

Vicki had arrived at Robert's hotel room and knocked on the door. Lorelei answered the door and saw her standing there patiently.

"Oh hey Vicki, you came here to see Robert, right?" said Lorelei.

"Yes, I wanted to see him if it's alright with you," said Vicki.

When Lorelei let Vicki in, she led her to Robert's bedroom and knocked on the door. Neon quickly disappeared and Robert glanced at the door while lying down on his bed.

"Robert, Vicki's here right now!" Lorelei shouted. "Can she come in and see you?"

"Y-Yeah, just let her in..." Robert shouted back, while he was still groaning.

Lorelei opened the door for Vicki so she could come in to see Robert. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Vicki sat down next to him and held his hand for comfort.

"Robert, I've heard that you're not feeling well..." said Vicki. "You're sick, right? Do you have a fever or maybe a flu?"

"It's-It's nothing like that at all..." Robert moaned. "It's something else..."

"Something else? What do you mean by that?"

"There is something that I should've told you before...About what Steel Man told me before was a disaster one."

"Can you explain it to me?"

"It all started last year back in Emblem, my nemesis sent one of his retainers to put a curse on me..."

"Wait, who's your nemesis?"

"I-I can't say his name in front of you. But anyways, Charlene must've somehow put a spell on me before I went up stage to make my debut speech..."

"Charlene, eh? So, she's working with him I believe?"

"Y-Yes, she is. But there's more, she is his _real_ girlfriend! Didn't Lorelei or I told you about the girl I fell in love with before I got rejected and met you?"

"Wait a minute, do you really mean to tell me that she's the one who...?"

"Yes, Charlene was the one I fell in love with at the first sight before I realized that I got rejected, and she betrayed me! You're right about one thing, Vicki. Falling in love with a villain is nothing, but a nightmare to us all."

Vicki was a bit jealous, but more shocking to hear of what Robert was saying. "Let me get this straight! You fell in love with the witch princess at first, then she set you up this whole time and rejected you for her real boyfriend! Right?"

"M-My thoughts exactly...I-I don't know why, but I ended up being used and got cursed by the traitor at the end."

"W-What happened after you made your speech?"

"Right after I made my speech, I suddenly collapsed on stage and felt the sharp pain inside of me somehow. Few minutes later, I was out of rage and stormed out of the party..."

Vicki was terrified after listening to Robert's explanation. She was thinking of a way to break the evil curse from him. Then, she heard a loud moan as she quickly looked at him.

"T-Tonight, the new moon will appear as I fear..." said Robert softly. "Once it's here, I'm going to...lose control of myself...and destroy everything and everybody, including you..."

"No Robert, don't say that!" Vicki exclaimed. "You're going to fight the curse! I know you can!"

"You don't understand...not even myself can fight this curse that was inside of me! Vicki, for your own safety, just...leave me when this happens."

"N-No! Why would I have to leave you? Robert, we're in this together as a team! You can't deny it!"

"I know, but this situation is different, Vicki. Just heed my words and save yourself! Otherwise, you would've get killed!"

"But there's got to be a way to break this curse! I know it, and you will be saved! I'm sure of it!"

After Vicki had a long talk with Robert, she looked up at the sky and it turned out to be dark very soon. She sat down at the fountain and brought some leftover brownies for Serena to eat. All of the sudden, Serena appeared from the fountain as she grabbed a piece of brownie and took a bite. Then, she glanced over at Vicki who seemed to be very depressed.

"Is there something the matter, Vicki?" Serena asked.

"Well, you see..." Vicki replied, as she was starting to explain the situation to Serena.

"What? Your ally will be out of control when the new moon appears?!" said Serena shockingly.

"That's right, that's what he just told me...I need to find a way to break the curse from him, but what is it exactly? I really want to save him no matter what!"

Serena was thinking of the solution to break the curse until she finally got an answer. "Wait a minute, I just thought of something! Vicki, didn't Katrina gave you something that will break the curse?"

"What? Oh yeah, that's right! She gave me the antidote pill after I got my fortune in about one or two weeks ago! I completely forgot about that!"

Vicki took out the bottle from her pocket and showed it to Serena with the antidote pill. After her guardian examined it in few seconds ago, Vicki put it back in her pocket safely.

"Just in case if something happens to him, I'll have to give him this right away!" said Vicki.

"Then, good luck with that," said Serena, encouraging her.

At night, the new moon suddenly appeared in the sky. Robert felt the sharp pain inside of him and his sweats were dropping from his forehead. When he opened his eyes, his anger was in rage and he totally lost his control. He jumped out of his bed and ran away from his room. Lorelei and Darren saw him running like an insane person. They tried to stop him, but he pushed them away and left his hotel room.

Sammy and Jimmy left the Roost after they drank their coffee. As soon as they heard an angry shout, they turned around to see of where this was coming from. Until suddenly, someone ran over them and knocked them down like a pancake. They didn't get a chance to look behind them while they were lying down and facing the ground.

"H-Hey, what's the rush?" Sammy asked.

"Yeah, what's your hurry?" Jimmy moaned, as he and Sammy suddenly fainted and faced to the ground once again.

Vicki was inside of her house, drawing a picture on her sketchbook. When she suddenly heard someone shouting, she dropped the pencil and the sketchbook to the floor and immediately looked through the window. She saw the white knight who was now losing his mind.

"Oh no, that can't be!" Vicki exclaimed, as she was running downstairs and went outside. "The new moon is here now! This can only mean Masked Swordmaster is in trouble now! Angelic power action!"

After Vicki transformed into Phantom Angel, she flew up and began searching for Masked Swordmaster. When she finally spotted him, he began wrecking the trees, flowers, bushes, and even some public works projects. As soon as she quickly landed, she quickly stopped him before he continued to damage some more.

"Masked Swordmaster, stop this chaos right now!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "I don't know if you can hear me or my words can reach you at the moment, but let me help you remove the curse right now!"

"Phantom...Angel..." Masked Swordmaster groaned weakly, as his eyes twitched a bit and his voice was straining. "W-What are you doing here? Y-You shouldn't be here...just run n-now!"

Phantom Angel quickly shook her head. "No, I can't do that! You're my partner, and I'll never leave you, not even like this! I remember you once said to me that you'll do anything to protect me! Now, I'm telling _you_ that _I'll_ do anything to protect _you_! You saved me many times before; and now it's my turn to save you, just like I did once!"

Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were standing behind the town hall and watching the scene between the angel and the knight. Their eyes were getting intensified by that scene. Lorelei and Serenity bit their nails nervously while Nick and Darren's faces were turning pale like a ghost.

"Phantom Angel has to do something really quick, Nick," said Lorelei. "Otherwise, she's going to get killed by my own brother!"

"Knowing my own sister, Lorelei," said Nick. "It's that she has to reach out to him first."

"I know, but how will that help?"

Masked Swordmaster took out his sword and pointed at Phantom Angel. She was frightened for a bit by closing her eyes for a split second, but that wouldn't stop her from reaching out to him. She was still standing and looking at him thoroughly. So, she began to spread her arms wide-opened without any hesitation.

"I know that the part of you may want to kill me, Masked Swordmaster," said Phantom Angel, "but the other part of you will never want to do that because I know it and I can sense it! Your body may have been control by an evil spell, but you can still control your heart and mind!"

"Oh y-yes..." Masked Swordmaster struggled in hesitation. "I-I know my body was...out of the control right now. B-But just...get out of the way! H-Hurry!"

Masked Swordmaster's out of control body was charging right through Phantom Angel with his sword. As soon as he was getting closer to her, she quickly closed her eyes and shifted her face to the right. All of the sudden, she heard a ding so she opened her eyes and saw what happened next. He lowered his sword and went down on his knee because he knew he would never want to kill her. His hand was shaking while holding his sword, but his other hand tried to stop it from struggling. Phantom Angel quickly bent down and wrapped her arms around him while Masked Swordmaster's heart and mind was in control. She quickly took out the bottle with the antidote pill inside of it.

"Masked Swordmaster, you must take this right now!" said Phantom Angel, as she removed the pill from the bottle and put it into his mouth. "It's the antidote pill that Katrina gave it to me. It's going to lift the curse from you, and you'll be back to your old, normal self again in no time!"

When Phantom Angel gave the antidote pill to Masked Swordmaster, he took it in his mouth and swallowed it very slowly. After that, he started to cough a couple of times until he spat out of blood. Phantom Angel was disgusted that she saw a splotch of blood, but then she saw something else. She saw a tiny shard of the dark poison crystal, which it was covered in blood. Masked Swordmaster breathed heavily that he really wanted to get some air. As soon as he stood up, he took a deep breath and finally exhaled. His curse was now broken, even the new moon was still there at night.

"Finally, I'm back to myself again," said Masked Swordmaster, "and my body is in control again. Phantom Angel, thank you for saving me!"

"It's the least I can do for my beloved ally!" said Phantom Angel happily.

Masked Swordmaster offered his hand to Phantom Angel, so she took his hand and he pulled her up. Then, he hugged each other very tightly that his problem was finally over. When they noticed that the dark poison crystal was still there, Phantom Angel wanted to pick it up, but it was covered in blood; and Masked Swordmaster didn't want to go near it. But luckily, someone picked it up and put it inside of the tube. The Duo of Justice were surprised to see of who it was.

"Katrina?" the heroes exclaimed.

"I will put this away for now and start researching it later," said Katrina, as she put the tube inside of her pocket. "Well done, hero of melody and purity, you saved the hero of strength and intelligence from peril."

"Actually, you're the one who gave me the antidote pill for Masked Swordmaster to take, Katrina," said Phantom Angel.

"Unfortunately, thank the ones who gave me the preparations for all this in the first place..."

Serena and Neon appeared all of the sudden at Katrina's side. The Duo of Justice wouldn't believe their eyes that their guardians were helping her out.

"That's right, I told Katrina everything about what's going to happen when the new moon appeared," Neon explained.

"And I witnessed the whole thing until the end," Serena explained. "So, I went to get Katrina and Neon right away."

"Um, Serena..." said Phantom Angel curiously.

"N-Neon, explain?" said Masked Swordmaster curiously.

"Explain about what?" Neon asked.

"I think they wanted to know is when we first met, how we know all about this and stuff..." said Serena. "But that's not important, and we'll explain about this later, young heroes!"

"Besides, we're not the only ones who were eavesdropping..." Neon shrugged.

Serena, Neon, and Katrina were looking at the tree right behind them. The Duo of Justice were very confused that they had no idea of what's going on. They both glanced at each other and shrugged at the same time.

"I guess they're not coming out at anytime now, are they?" said Serena unenthusiastically.

"No, we'll just have to make them instead," said Neon.

"Wait, who's 'them'?" the Duo of Justice asked.

Serena clapped her paws and Neon snapped his fingers to make the tree shake a little. All of the sudden, four humans fell from the tree branches and ended up landing on the ground. Two boys lied down on the ground while the two girls were on top of them for their soft landing. The Duo of Justice were surprised to see of who they were hiding in the treetops.

"What the...?" Phantom Angel asked, as she was speechless.

"W-What are you all doing here?!" Masked Swordmaster asked surprisingly.

"Err, um..." Nick stammered.

"Well, you see..." Lorelei stammered.

Nobody had anything else to say at all until Katrina began to explain in her own words.

"They were just checking out to see what's going on between the both of you," Katrina explained.

"That's right," Serena agreed. "When you two revealed your secret identities with each other, they were right below the building and overheard everything!"

"But that's not all..." Neon added. "Right after confessing your love to each other, they witnessed the whole thing! Especially, Lorelei took a picture of you two kissing each other!"

"What? Is this true?!" the Duo of Justice asked, looking at the four humans.

"We're sorry, we didn't really mean to eavesdrop!" said Serenity and Darren, as they bowed down rapidly at the dynamic duo.

"Well, that doesn't matter anymore," said Phantom Angel.

"Perhaps, you're right," said Masked Swordmaster. "What really matter is that my nightmare is finally over. And here I thought I would never wake up..."

Suddenly, Masked Swordmaster fainted and collapsed to the ground. Everyone gasped as they rushed to check on him to see if he's alright. Phantom Angel tried to wake him up by shaking him.

"Masked Swordmaster, are you alright?" Phantom Angel asked. "Say something!"

"He will be okay for now," said Katrina. "He's all worn out and needed some rest."

"Well, I guess I'll have to carry him to the hotel room until I'll get my back broken by then..."

"Unfortunately, there's no need for you to do that, Phantom Angel," said Neon.

"What? Why is that?"

Serena turned to Nick and Darren and said, "Nick, Darren, you two can carry Masked Swordmaster all the way to his hotel room right now!"

Nick started to complain and asked, "Aw, is it because we're-?"

"Yes!" the guardians exclaimed, as they cut off Nick's question.

Nick and Darren made a heavy sigh as they carried Masked Swordmaster by the arms and dragged him to his hotel room. Lorelei and Serenity shrugged while they were staring at each other. Phantom Angel glanced at the unconscious white knight and sighed very softly.

The next day, Robert woke up as he slowly opened his eyes and moaned softly. Then, he heard someone singing in a very soft tune. He glanced at Vicki and was surprised to see her in his room.

"V-Vicki...h-how long have you been here?" Robert asked wearily.

"Since this morning, Robert," Vicki replied, "Lorelei asked me if I could come and take care of you; and I told her that I would do that."

"Oh, that sister of mine...But you don't have to go through all the trouble to come and take care of me until I'll get better."

"Well, it's the least I can do. Just go easy on yourself, and don't try to push yourself too hard, okay? You really need to get some rest, Robert."

Robert sighed. "Perhaps, you're right...I really do deserve that in the meantime..."

Vicki started to hum a tune in rhythm while Robert was taking a nap. As soon as he listened to her humming, he suddenly fell asleep and relaxed in his bed.


	22. Desperately Saving Lorelei

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 21: Desperately Saving Lorelei

Lorelei and Serenity were walking at the beach while looking at the ocean waves. They waved hello to the turtle, Kapp'n who was washing his boat. All of the sudden, they noticed the black ship which it was here at the beach. Lorelei decided to check it out and see while Serenity was following her.

"Lorelei, I don't think we should go into that ship," said Serenity. "We'll get in trouble if we go there..."

"Don't worry about it, Serenity," said Lorelei. "Just be on the lookout while I'm going inside, okay?"

"But Lorelei-!"

Lorelei went on board to check out the inside of the ship while Serenity was waiting for her at the beach. She checked out every compartment to compartment and saw some very uncommon things that were very unfamiliar to her. Until she reached to the last compartment, she found the current newspapers from StarLily. She also found the spear placed on the wall and the black mask on the manniquin's face. When she found out of whose ship belonged to, it started to depart before she could escape. She heard Serenity calling out her name and waving her arms at her while looking through the window. She hurried to reach for the top until someone caught her while he was eating his lunch.

"A-A-Allen P-P-Parker..." Lorelei gasped in fear, while her blue eyes met his glowing red eyes.

"Lorelei Goldstein?" said Allen with the mouthful, while he was chewing his food before swallowing it.

At the beach, Serenity saw the ship departing from the town. She was expecting Lorelei to get out of there, but she didn't see her coming out of the ship at all. She knew that something's going to happen to her. So, she decided to contact Vicki right away.

Back at the ship, Lorelei was being dragged by Blade and was forced to sit down. Allen sat right in front of her and started to grin. He crossed his arms while he was glancing at her.

"How on earth did you managed to find my ship, hmm?" Allen asked. "I thought my invisibility spell was permanent."

"Well, I guess your spell was now wearing off, Allen," said Lorelei. "But tell me why you're here in StarLily and for what purpose!"

Allen waved his hands at Lorelei contently. "Well, for my main purpose is I'm still targeting your big brother, Robert. As for my main reasons, I'm going to take back what's rightfully mine which it was now done; and I'm still claiming my victory which I am working on it right now!"

"Wait a second, do you have something to do with the stolen ore, which it was really the dark poison crystal, from the museum?"

Allen raised an eyebrow at Lorelei. "Are you starting to reveal my secret plan, Lorelei?"

"Well, let's just say you're trying to plan something rotten, isn't that right?"

"Yes, you got that right, girl! With the power of the dark poison crystal, I'll be undefeatable! And no one will dare stop me, not even the Duo of Justice! Ha!"

Lorelei faltered as her eyes were full of fear when she was afraid of Allen. She has no idea of what to do next, but to pray for the Duo of Justice to save her in no time.

Meanwhile, Vicki was sitting at the town tree and reading a book. Until Robert found her while he was running, she quickly put the book away when she saw him.

"Vicki, have you seen Lorelei anywhere?" Robert asked.

"No, I haven't," Vicki answered. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"I went to the hotel room, but she wasn't there. She even forgot to bring her smartphone."

"Well, did you check any places, like the shops and the museum?"

"I already did, but she's not in any of these places. I'm guessing she's here, in town, isn't she?"

"Oh right! I remembered she's with Serenity, that's for sure!"

"Vicki! Vicki!" Serenity shouted, as she was running towards her and Robert.

"Serenity, what's wrong?" Vicki asked.

"It's Lorelei! She was on the ship, and the ship just took off in few minutes ago!"

"Wait, what ship?" Robert asked.

"Here, I'll show you what it looks like!" Serenity took out her smartphone and showed the picture of the ship to Vicki and Robert. This made Robert a quite of shock as his eyes were wide-opened.

"Oh no, that can't be!" Robert gasped.

"Robert, do you know anything about this ship at all?" Vicki asked.

"Yes, I believe so! Come with me, Vicki! We have to transform right away and get into that ship!"

"Right!" Vicki nodded.

Vicki and Robert rushed to Main Street to find a place to transform. Darren hid behind one of the trees and heard everything about what happened to Lorelei. So, he quickly rushed to the beach and wanted to save Lorelei on his own.

Back at the ship, Allen showed his necklace and revealed his pendant to Lorelei. She gasped when she saw that this pendant was none other than the dark poison crystal.

"Does this look familiar to you at all, Lorelei?" Allen asked.

"The dark poison crystal..." Lorelei answered softly. "How did you stole that from the museum?"

"One of my retainers used the equipment to steal it while another was trying to distract the Duo of Justice. That's how, Lorelei!"

"But why on earth did you want to do that?"

"Why? Why-?" Allen chuckled, as he shook his head and turned to Charlene. "Hey Charlene, what did my mother used to say?"

"'Go find yourself a girlfriend?'" Charlene grinned, as she was making a guess.

Allen frowned. "Hello, I mean before that..."

Charlene shrugged. "'Get out of town?'"

Allen rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "She said whenever I will achieve my goal, don't let anyone get in my way! That's what she said."

Lorelei shook her head and said, "But my brother will stop you somehow! As long as he has an ally by his side, they will-!"

Allen immediately cut her off and said, "They will what, Lorelei? Just tell me, let me hear you say it."

"You, sir, are insane..."

"No! Ha ha! Come on, Lorelei, don't be shy. Just say it in front of my ear, yeah? Please?"

Lorelei shouted in triumph. "The Duo of Justice will stop your evil-!"

"WRONG!" Allen yelled furiously, while his eyes were glowing red in rage. "As I said before, Lorelei, nobody will defeat me, not even the Duo of Justice. Got it?" Then, he turned to Lewis. "Lewis, take Lorelei to the vacant compartment and lock her up!"

Few minutes later, Lewis sent Lorelei to the compartment and locked her up from escaping. She tried to open the door and banged it really hard, but it was useless. She looked through the window and watched the town getting smaller and smaller as the ship sailed away. She felt so helpless that she didn't know of what to do anymore.

Back at StarLily, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster rushed to the town and headed to the beach. All of the sudden, they heard someone shouting that came from the beach.

"GARR, WHERE'S MY BOAT?!" Kapp'n shouted, as the Duo of Justice went to check on him before they planned to save Lorelei.

"Hey Kapp'n, what's wrong?" Phantom Angel asked.

"It's my boat, it's gone!" Kapp'n replied. "I was about to change the water for my bucket. When I got back, my boat's gone! Someone must've taken my boat!"

"Don't worry, Kapp'n, we'll get your boat back soon," said Masked Swordmaster, reassuring him. As soon as he was looking at the ocean view, he suddenly made a realization. _I wonder if it was Darren who took Kapp'n's boat... _He thought. _Darren, just be careful out there and find Lorelei, alright?_

Meanwhile, Darren was sailing on Kapp'n's boat in order to find Allen's ship and rescue Lorelei. He remembered the time when he and Robert tried to save her from Allen and his retainers when they were still living in Emblem.

It took place one year ago, Darren quietly went downstairs and found Masked Swordmaster, Robert's heroic version, who was lying on the floor unconscious and got trapped in the glowing cell. He quickly grabbed the wrench and broke down the cell door. Then, he dragged the white knight out of there and woke him up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he glanced at the cell and then at Darren.

"Darren, how did you find me?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Strangely, the familiar voice led me straight to here," Darren answered. "But it's a good thing that I found you. What just happened?"

"It's a long story, but we have to rescue Lorelei now!"

"Not so fast, you fools!" said the voice, from above. Masked Swordmaster and Darren saw of who it was, Allen. "Nobody dares to take Lorelei away from me, not even to both of you!"

When Allen snapped his fingers, Lewis threw the smoke bomb at Masked Swordmaster and Darren. As soon as the smoke appeared, the good guys coughed so hard that they suddenly fainted. Finally, Allen ordered Lewis to get rid of them right away.

Few moments later, Masked Swordmaster and Darren found themselves at the catapult and got their hands tied up behind their backs. Lewis and Flare were checking on them before they were sending them in midair.

"Any last words before I will tell Flare to start up the flame?" Lewis asked.

"Yes, just leave Darren out of this before we'll about to get launched!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, I was told that Hayweirdo is joining your death, which it is part of Allen's request!"

"It's Haywire, you dolt!" said Darren, clenching his teeth.

"Same thing, dude! But anyways, Flare, start up your fire so they can face their ultimate doom!"

"Right, time to get this little rope burning!" said Flare, as she used her fire power to burn up the rope. "And have a nice death to both of you!"

After Lewis and Flare were gone, Masked Swordmaster and Darren were struggling to get themselves free. The white knight reached out his wristband with his own fingers to tap it. It took him about less than a minute to reach it while his hand were tied. As soon as he tapped it, the ropes began to sizzle by his wristband. All of the sudden, his hands were finally free; and he quickly dragged Darren away from the catapult before they were being launched. While they were on ground, he untied his best friend's hands and ready to save Lorelei from Allen.

With Darren's flashback ended, he gripped the handle of the motor and focused on searching for Allen's ship. As soon as he finally saw it, he's getting closer to it and finally rescued Lorelei in no time.

At the beach, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster desperately wanted to rescue Lorelei right away. Kapp'n told them not to fret as he took out the remote control and immediately pressed the button. Suddenly, something appeared from the waterfall and had arrived at the pier. He took out the waterproof sheet and showed them the motorboat.

"Ta-da! Behold the motorboat is complete and ready for a drive!" said Kapp'n in triumph.

"That looks really amazing, Kapp'n!" said Phantom Angel happily. "Now, we can finally rescue Lorelei! Come on!"

The Duo of Justice hopped on to the motorboat and Kapp'n gave the key to Phantom Angel. She turned the key and started up the engine and the motorboat began to move away. As soon as Kapp'n waved at them for good luck, the Duo of Justice were on their way to save Lorelei.

"Since when did you requested Kapp'n for the motorboat?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Since last year after I saved him and the passengers from the tsunami," Phantom Angel replied. Until she saw someone floating in the middle of the ocean, she quickly stopped the motorboat right away. "Oh hey, Pascal, what are you doing here?"

"Just minding my own business, that's what I usually do..." the otter replied. "So, what can I do for you today?"

"We want to know if you've seen a ship," said Masked Swordmaster. "Do you know of where it's heading?"

"Ah yes! Now that you mention it, it's heading that way." Pascal was pointing at the west where Allen's ship was heading. "But there's more..."

"M-More?" said Phantom Angel curiously.

Pascal nodded. "Yes, more...I saw a boy riding on Kapp'n's boat, but Kapp'n wasn't on the boat. I think the little guy was also heading west as well..."

"T-Thank you, Pascal!" said Masked Swordmaster, as he knew that Darren did took Kapp'n's boat and went after Allen's ship to save Lorelei. "That's all the information we need!"

Phantom Angel gave Pascal the scallop as thanks and quickly drove away to west. She accelerated the motorboat in high speed and tried to find the ship as she could. Masked Swordmaster was getting worried about Lorelei and Darren and what would happened to them.

"You know, I'm very concern about Lorelei and Darren," said Masked Swordmaster.

"I'm pretty sure they'll be fine," said Phantom Angel.

"Yeah, but who knows of what might happened to them? And I really don't want to know..."

"Don't worry, we'll save them in no time once we'll find the ship!"

Back in Allen's ship, Lorelei was leaning down to the floor and hugging her legs tightly. She was afraid that nobody would know of where she was right now and started to cry a bit. All of the sudden, she heard the doorknob rattled as she quickly stood up. When the door swung open, it was only Darren who came to rescue her. Lorelei was so happy to see him that she started to hug him and burst into tears.

"Oh Darren, I'm very glad that you came!" Lorelei cried.

"Of course I came, Lorelei!" said Darren happily, as he was comforting her. "I came here to save you, just like old times!"

"You don't have to remind me, but I'm so happy that you saved me again!"

Lorelei and Darren were kissing each other while they were embracing. Until they heard footsteps approaching, they immediately saw Allen right in front of them.

"Oh, how very touching..." said Allen flatly.

"Ugh, it's you again..." said Darren, being annoyed. "And here I thought we will never see you again, Allen."

"Who cares? But for me, I don't! Anyways, you two will be spending the wonder years in my ship...for now!"

As soon as Allen closed the door and locked it, Darren quickly ran to the door and banged it really hard. With the door locked, Lorelei came to his side and hugged him once again. Their only hope was that the Duo of Justice would come to rescue them for sure.

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were searching for Allen's ship somewhere in the ocean. Until they saw it not too faraway, Phantom Angel quickly approached to it and stopped the motorboat right away. Masked Swordmaster used his guardian cannon to summon the grappling hook to hang on to the taffrail. Once they climbed onto the ship with the rope, they suddenly saw a bunch of henchmen appeared and surrounded them.

"Aw man, it looks like someone called out the henchmen because they already found out that we're here!" said Phantom Angel.

"Yeah, I kind of doubt that," said Masked Swordmaster. "They're trying to slow us down from reaching out Lorelei and Darren. But we're not holding back much longer, let's do this together!"

"Yeah, I'm with you!"

The Duo of Justice fought the henchmen one by one in order to rescue Lorelei and Darren. It took them about several minutes to take down each and every henchman until every last of them were beaten. Phantom Angel immediately saw someone standing on top of the ship, watching over them. She told Masked Swordmaster to find Lorelei and Darren and get them out of the ship. And so he did, he quickly rushed below the deck to find them right away.

Lorelei and Darren were sitting on the floor and looking through the window. When they suddenly heard the loud footsteps, they immediately stood up in the alarm way. As soon as someone opened the door, they happily saw Masked Swordmaster who finally came to save them.

"Are you guys alright?" Masked Swordmaster asked, as Lorelei and Darren nodded in response.

"We're okay, dude!" Darren replied, giving him a thumbs up.

"But how on earth did you find us?" Lorelei asked.

"Well, I noticed that you left your smartphone behind when I tried to call you," Masked Swordmaster explained. "At first, Serenity showed me the picture of Allen's ship after I contacted Vicki. Second, Kapp'n got panic when his boat was missing..."

"Err yes, that _is _me who took his boat..." Darren chuckled nervously, while Masked Swordmaster gave him an awkward stare and sighed heavily. "B-But I promise that I will bring it back to Kapp'n, of course! Seriously!"

"Uh huh...But anyways, let's get you both out of this ship right now!"

Masked Swordmaster, Lorelei, and Darren were heading above the deck and found Kapp'n's boat, which it was hanging on by the two hooks. The white knight told the two villagers to get onto the boat first, and so they did. But Lorelei looked around and noticed that someone was missing.

"Wait a second, where's Phantom Angel?" Lorelei asked. "Wasn't she with you?"

"She was here in a minute ago," Masked Swordmaster replied, looking around the ship. "Unless...uh oh!"

"You don't suppose..." said Darren cautiously.

"Let me quickly lower your boat so you two will get to StarLily in no time!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he pulled the lever down so Lorelei and Darren could finally get away from the ship. "We'll meet you both back in town!"

"Big brother!" Lorelei shouted, as Darren started up Kapp'n's boat after unhooking it and sailed away. Masked Swordmaster bid them farewell and began searching Phantom Angel before they abandoned the ship.

Meanwhile, Phantom Angel followed the mysterious figure who led her to the top. As soon as she stopped her tracks, she saw a guy that she never met before. He was watching the ocean view while his black cape was flowing in the wind.

"Well now, it looks like you have come this far," the guy chuckled. "So, it is true that you're another person who possessed the heroic blood. I am very impressed..."

"Who are you?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Oh, did he not tell you of who I am? I'm very shock to hear those words from you...But fine, let me introduce myself. My name is Allen...Allen Parker!" Allen turned around and faced Phantom Angel, who trembled a bit, with his glowing red eyes.

Phantom Angel gasped as she suddenly remembered of what Masked Swordmaster said to her. _"You don't see the guy everyday like I do..."_ That's the line which made her ears rang.

"Oh, there's no need to tell me of who you are," said Allen. "You're Phantom Angel, correct? Or should I call you Vicki Silverwing?"

"What?! How on earth did you-?!" Phantom Angel gasped. "That can't be! It's impossible that you know of who I really am!"

"Then, allow me to explain it to you. Did you saw the tiny, black shard that was coming out of his mouth after you gave him an antidote?"

"'His?' Wait a second, you're not referring to...?"

"Now that you know of who I'm talking about, just let me explain it to you. The black shard, you saw before, is the dark poison crystal. Not only it gives me a greater power, but it can allow me to see of what's going on in his mind!"

"So, you're trying to manipulate him, is that it? Why on earth did you do such a thing?"

Allen began to explain everything about what's happening in Emblem one year ago. He wanted Lorelei by his side, but she was not interested in him and was in love with Darren instead. Robert always won every contest because he was the mayor of Emblem, but Allen always lost and never got to win at least once. He wanted revenge so badly that he used the dark poison crystal to turn the animal villagers of Emblem against the mayor. He also used it to weaken his rival from being so successful because Robert was the chosen hero by Neon and carried the heroic blood. That was the end of Allen's explanation to Phantom Angel.

"You tried to kill him!" Phantom Angel shouted, as she took out her staff and pointed at Allen. "You monster, I won't forgive you for what you did to Robert and the animals of Emblem!"

"Oh, is that a threat I hear from you?" Allen asked calmly. "So, you want to fight me now? If you insist, 'ladies first' as they always say."

Phantom Angel yelled as she began to charge right through Allen with her guardian staff. When she was about to attack him, he took one step away from her and she immediately fell down. She got up until Allen bent down and glared at her. He slugged her away and knocked her down to the deck. He quickly jumped down, took out his spear, and pointed at her.

"Such an amateur move you've got there!" Allen exclaimed. "You reminded me of someone who tried to fight me for the first time in battle! Hmm, the big question is should I kill you, too? Or perhaps not? Well, I guess the world may never know..."

Allen started to spin his spear and was ready to attack Phantom Angel. Until Masked Swordmaster came and punched his face right away, he quickly defended her from the evil knight.

"Phantom Angel, are you alright?" Masked Swordmater asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Phantom Angel replied. "But what about Lorelei and Darren?"

"They already got away safely right now! There's no need to worry about them!"

"I guess they are no longer important to me anymore!" Allen exclaimed, as he stood up on his feet. "But you, on the other hand, are!"

"Fine! Let's finish where we left off last year!"

Masked Swordmaster took out his sword to fight off against Allen. His sword and Allen's spear were clashing each other. The white knight pushed him by kicking his stomach and knocked him down. When he was about to slay his enemy, Allen revealed the dark poison crystal from his shirt. Masked Swordmaster's eyes were widened in terror and the dark knight immediately punched his face and tossed him to the deck. As soon as the swordsman tried to get up, his nemesis grabbed him and slid him to the superstructure. Phantom Angel couldn't help, but to watch the terrifying scene. She quickly rushed to her ally after she saw him getting hurt by Allen.

"Masked Swordmaster, are you alright?" Phantom Angel asked. "I'll help you get up!"

When Phantom Angel helped Masked Swordmaster to get up, she noticed that there's something wrong with his face. There was blood that came from his mouth and nose after he was brutally beaten by Allen. Then, they immediately saw him charging right through them with his spear. But with the dark poison crystal around his neck, Masked Swordmaster couldn't move away from his enemy. Phantom Angel tried to drag him away, but he's too weak and heavy to move. Instead, she charged right back at Allen and defended her ally.

"You demon, just leave him alone!" Phantom Angel shouted, blocking Allen's way.

"Stay out of this, you second rate hero!" Allen exclaimed, pushing Phantom Angel away. "This isn't your fight! It's only between me and him, no one else!"

All of the sudden, the snowflakes appeared out of nowhere and were nailed down Allen's cape. They were no ordinary snowflakes, they were like weapons. Allen was not very amused by this, but the Duo of Justice were surprised and realized that they didn't come from the sky. Until the guardians appeared, they defended their chosen heroes from the dark knight's threat.

"Serena?!" said Phantom Angel surprisingly.

"And...Neon?" said Masked Swordmaster in confusion. "Where did you both come from?"

"There's no time to explain!" said Serena.

"You two just go ahead and leave the ship at once!" said Neon. "We'll try to distract Allen!"

"But what about-?" Phantom Angel asked, but she was cut off by her ally.

"Let's just do as they say now!" said Masked Swordmaster urgently, as he dragged Phantom Angel to the motorboat.

Allen pulled out his cape away from the snowflakes and was ready to attack the guardians. Serena used her icy powers to slow him down and Neon used his smokescreen so the dark knight couldn't see them. He quickly repelled the smoke with his spear and noticed that they suddenly disappeared.

The Duo of Justice and the guardians had arrived back in StarLily. They got off the motorboat and walked up to the town. Phantom Angel quickly stopped Masked Swordmaster so she could heal his injuries on his face. But he told her that it's not necessary and would manage them on his own. Finally, there's something that she would like to ask him.

"So Masked Swordmaster, do you know more anything about Allen?" Phantom Angel asked. "I already know that he's evil and what he did was wrong. But is he like your long time rival or something?"

This question made Masked Swordmaster faltered, but Neon stepped in and said, "Phantom Angel, I don't think this is the good time to ask him that...But I apologized for that."

"Come on, Neon, let's go..." said Masked Swordmaster glumly.

After Masked Swordmaster and Neon left, Phantom Angel glanced at them with her sad eyes. Serena came by her side and comforted her by the shoulder.

"I know you wanted more answers, but it's best for you to wait until the time is right," said Serena.

"Yes, but still..." said Phantom Angel glumly.

Lorelei was standing behind the trees after she overheard everything. Whether or not, she might give Vicki some answers that she wanted to know desperately. So, she quickly rushed to the hotel before Robert realized that she's been gone that long.

At night, Vicki couldn't sleep because she's been thinking a lot lately. She's worried about Robert since his fight against Allen and his wounds on his face had shown. Until she received a notification from her smartphone, she checked it out and got a text message from someone.

"'Meet me at the town plaza if you're not asleep,'" Vicki read the message. "Lorelei? I wonder why she wants me to meet up with her..."

As soon as Vicki arrived at the town plaza, Lorelei showed up and came to see her. The mayor was very curious of why her friend wanted to see her.

"Can we go somewhere privately so I can explain everything to you?" Lorelei asked.

"Um, sure...I think I know the place," Vicki replied.

After Vicki transformed into Phantom Angel, she carried Lorelei and flew on top of the building. They both sat down on the rooftop and began their discussion.

"Sorry I have to drag you in the middle of the night," said Lorelei. "It's just that I couldn't sleep a bit..."

"It's alright, Lorelei," said Phantom Angel. "I was having trouble sleeping, too. But anyways, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, there's something I have to get off of my chest, and I wanted to discuss this to you. Nobody else, not even Serena and Neon..."

"Okay, care to tell me about it?"

Lorelei began her explanation to Phantom Angel in her rightful mind. She started to tell the angel about Allen in her past before he and Robert became enemies. He used to be his friend and hers as well before Darren moved in to Emblem. Until several moments later, something corrupted Allen and made him become evil. His life began to change in his evil ways, and he began to threaten Robert who was now awakening as Masked Swordmaster at the same time. Their fight became endlessly and it took them a lot of pressure. Few days later, Darren moved into Emblem and fell in love with Lorelei. They already knew Robert's secret identity after they were being attacked by one of Allen's retainers. They decided to help him out and stopped their enemy's schemes. Allen's main plan was to kill Robert and Darren who had a crush on Lorelei, but that plan actually failed and both of them survived in many ways. But in few months later, the dark knight planted the dark poison crystal underground and caused the town into chaos.

"With the dark poison crystal planted in Emblem, it seems like our happy days are now over," said Lorelei, as her eyes were full of fear. "When I first stepped into Allen's ship, I feel like I'm starting to tremble a bit. But with Allen on board, I'm so scared by looking at his red, evil eyes."

"Not only he's a troublemaker, but he's a big threat alright," said Phantom Angel.

"Yeah, you're right about that. When I looked at his eyes, it's telling me that the Allen, we all know, doesn't exist anymore. He is now a different person who possessed the dark poison crystal in order to kill my brother. As soon as Robert or Masked Swordmaster came closer to it, he's getting slower and weaker by it. That way, Allen could easily beat him up, and he will become superior than my own brother!"

Phantom Angel suddenly remembered the time when she saw Allen beating Masked Swordmaster up with the dark poison crystal around his neck. Then, she saw a few bruises on the white knight's face and the blood was dripping from his nose and mouth. She quickly shook off the terrible scene from her head and paid attention to Lorelei.

"Now that Allen is taking hold of the dark poison crystal, he's very undefeatable and making my brother a sore loser!" Lorelei cried, as the tears were falling from her eyes. "Oh Vicki, it's a good thing that Robert came here and met you in the first place! You've got to help him and save him somehow! I don't want my big brother to die by Allen's hands, and I really wish Allen will leave us alone forever!"

"It's alright, Lorelei," said Phantom Angel, hugging her tightly. "I will save your brother no matter what, just like he saved me a couple of times when I was in danger by Allen's retainers. We will find a way to stop Allen somehow!"

"Thank you, Phantom Angel!"

When Lorelei listened to Phantom Angel's words, this made her smile completely. She was very glad that she trusted her ever since Vicki/Phantom Angel first fell in love with Robert/Masked Swordmaster.


	23. Pure Crystal Clear

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 22: Pure Crystal Clear

Vicki went to the police station to see Booker and Copper. But when she heard the commotion, the police dogs told the cursed animals to be silent and banged the cell doors with their batons. Booker was getting tired of them ranting about wanting to get out of the jail. Copper was pissed off that he told the prisoners not to overreact and be the good animals many times, but they never listened to him. Suddenly, the duo saw Vicki coming into the police station and immediately saw everything.

"Oh Vicki, we apologized for letting you see all of this!" said Copper, as he was saluting her.

"Y-Yeah, hopefully this will never happen again..." said Booker quietly. "M-Maybe..."

"Oh, you guys don't have to apologize," said Vicki. "You two did your best though."

"Yeah, I'd say we did," said Copper. "But now, we have a slight, small problem here."

"And what's that?"

"Well, you see..." Booker replied. "We're now lack of capacity of prison cells...Which means, we don't have anymore room for one more animal to fit in."

"Oh dear, I can see that now..." Vicki looked at the prison cells, and they were now full.

"That's our problem alright!" said Copper. "And can you do us a favor, Vicki?"

"Sure, what is it, Copper?"

"If you ever ran into Duo of Justice, could you tell them that we don't have anymore room in the prison cell?"

"Y-Yeah, I'll tell them about it..."

After Vicki left the police station, she sighed heavily and looked up in the sky. She decided to go to the Roost until she ran into Robert who was also going there as well.

"Hey Vicki," said Robert.

"Hey Robert," said Vicki. "Grabbing a cup of coffee, are you?"

"Yeah, and the same thing goes for you, too. Right?"

When Vicki and Robert purchased their coffee from Brewster, they left the Roost and headed to the town plaza. They sat down at the town tree and drank their coffee. Vicki looked up in the sky once again and sighed very softly. After Robert heard her sighing, he put down his cup of coffee and glanced at her.

"Is everything alright, Vicki?" Robert asked.

"Well, I just stopped by at the police station today," Vicki explained. "Booker and Copper were having a hard time controlling the prisoners and silencing them. With the dark poison crystal taking an effect on the animals, they became so relentless. If only there's a way to get them back to normal, then Booker and Copper won't get anymore stress. Otherwise, there won't be anymore room for just one more animal to fit in the prison cell."

"I see what you mean... I wish there is a way to break an evil spell on them. But I don't really have an answer though..."

"Well, I guess now is not the time to find a better solution until the time will come, which I'm sure of it..."

"Hmm, I guess so..."

At night, Vicki fell asleep in her bed and started to have a dream. It's the same dream she had before when she met the mysterious figure as Phantom Angel. As soon as she held his hands, the light suddenly appeared and his appearance was finally revealed. When the angel saw his hands while holding, she noticed that his gloves looked very familiar. Finally, she saw his face and was very surprised to see of who it was.

"Wow, I don't believe this..." Phantom Angel gasped. "Masked Swordmaster, it's really you! You're the mysterious person this whole time in my dreams!"

"Well, I'm very surprised as you, Phantom Angel, and I would've said the same thing to you!" said Masked Swordmaster happily, as he and Phantom Angel immediately hugged each other. "Are we actually in the same dream?"

"If you're with me, then it seems that way. I don't know if it's either fate or destiny that brought us here."

Suddenly, something's glittering came from the sky. The Duo of Justice saw the shooting star, but it was heading straight towards them. They quickly got away from it and headed for cover, but the fallen star went straight to the lake. When it fell into the lake, the light began to shine very brightly as it turned out to be the shimmering, white crystal. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster saw of how beautiful it was.

"Wow, and here we thought it was the shooting star..." said Phantom Angel.

"But it turns out that it becomes the pure crystal?" said Masked Swordmaster.

"Not only this crystal is clear, but it is a powerful one, too! I can really sense its power within."

"You're right, I can sense its power, too! Um, speaking of the shooting star, what did you wish for, Phantom Angel?"

"My wish? Well, searching for true love..."

"That's exactly what I wish for, too!"

Phantom Angel blushed slightly. "R-Really?!"

"Yes, really! Until we met each other for the first time, our wishes finally came true!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind!"

Suddenly, the pure crystal began to shine very brightly. The Duo of Justice covered their eyes while it was still shining. Then, something was about to happen. The pure crystal magically summoned the heroes' weapons and added their new powers. Phantom Angel's guardian staff evolved into the crystal staff, which it has a round, hard glass with the diamond-shaped crystal inside of it, replaced its golden wings for the silver bow, and its rod was a bit longer than the guardian staff. Masked Swordmaster's knight sword evolved into the crystalized sword, which there were three small crystals embedded the sub-hilt and the golden chain attached to the pommel of the hilt with the diamond-shaped crystal at the end. The dynamic duo took their newly, upgraded weapons and felt their new powers within.

"Wow, they looked totally amazing and powerful!" said Phantom Angel surprisingly.

"Yeah, the pure crystal is making our weapons more powerful than before!" said Masked Swordmaster.

"Next time whenever we'll face our enemies, we'll give them a taste of our new weapons!"

"I agree! Maybe we can show our guardians the new weapons, we have right now, and see of what they think."

The next morning, Vicki woke up from her dream and got out of her bed. When she noticed that there's a small light out of nowhere in front of her, she put her hands together around it. Then, she separated them vertically and the crystal staff magically appeared from her hands. She took it in one hand and started to examine it. Serena appeared in front of her and immediately saw her newly, upgraded weapon.

"Ah, could this be the guardian staff changed its form into a different one?" Serena asked.

"Yes, it is!" Vicki answered. "I thought it was just a dream, but it appears to be real!"

"Dream or reality, let me touch this staff..." Serena placed her paw on the crystal staff and suddenly sensed the greater power she had never imagined before. So, she quickly removed her paw away from the crystal staff and looked very surprised. "Wow, this is unbelievable! The crystal staff is twice powerful than the guardian staff!"

"Yep, it sure is!"

At the hotel, Robert showed off his newly weapon to Neon. When the dragon guardian sensed the sword's new power, he was very impressed. Robert put his crystalized sword away horizontally between his hands in a magical way.

"The crystalized sword is way beyond powerful than the knight sword!" said Neon. "I'm also amazed by its new power!"

"Whatever this sword's power holds, I'll do anything to harness it," said Robert.

"Then, let the new power protect you of all cost!"

Vicki was walking to the town plaza and suddenly saw a commotion over there. When she ran into Robert, he also noticed something very unusual. They saw a girl wearing a heavy coat and had a dark red hair. She was selling hollies to the animals at the town plaza. All of the sudden, Sammy and Jimmy were walking through Vicki and Robert and immediately pushed them aside.

"Out of our way, nerds!" said Sammy. "We're very interested in buying those plants from that girl!"

"Yeah, move it or lose it!" said Jimmy.

After Sammy and Jimmy were walking past Vicki and Robert, the pair of heroes shook their heads and brushed off their coats. To put that aside, they quickly went behind the building and watched over the crowd.

Sammy and Jimmy had arrived at the town plaza and were in line to buy the holly from the seller. As soon as they were in front of the counter, they noticed that all of the hollies were sold out. They didn't even see at least one holly at the counter.

"Um...excuse me, miss, don't you have any more hollies in stock?" Sammy asked.

"My apologies, gentlemen, I'm afraid all of my hollies are sold out now," said the holly seller. "Only those who purchased it, have pure luck..."

Suddenly, the animals were somehow frozen after they purchased their hollies. Sammy and Jimmy were terrified after what they saw all of the sudden. Vicki and Robert, on the other hand, knew that there's something terrible was about to happen. Finally, the holly seller snapped her fingers to summon the smoke around her to change her appearance, Ivy! The Slapjack brothers began to scream after she changed back to her true form.

"Who-Who-Who are you?!" Sammy asked in fear.

"Or what-what-what are you?!" Jimmy asked in panic.

Ivy didn't answered one of the twins' questions and began to summon her reinforcements. Her henchmen surrounded the Slapjack brothers so they had nowhere to run. While they were in panic, she immediately called out her animal slave.

"Hopper, time to freeze those two annoying humans, just like the other animals in town!" Ivy exclaimed.

"With pleasure, slushie!" said the penguin with the big, think eyebrows.

Hopper took out the ice laser gun to target the Slapjack brothers while they were scared and embracing each other. He was ready to aim and fire at them with ice. Until something stopped him from shooting, the ice laser gun was now cut in half and destroyed by the angelic boomerang. The enemies and the twins looked around to see of where that came from. Finally, they saw the Duo of Justice who were standing in front of them.

"Hey, you can't just frost everyone in town like this!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"That's right, you're turning this town into a nightmare of ice!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed. "Now, we're here to defrost your evil plan! So..."

"The Duo of Justice are here to stop you!" said the dynamic duo altogether.

"Oh please, like, what do you two know?" Ivy asked sarcastically. "But that doesn't matter to me anyways! Men, forget those twins! Attack the Duo of Justice now!"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster fought Ivy's henchmen. While they were at it, this was the chance for Sammy and Jimmy to make an escape. But they were stopped by Ivy and Hopper who were blocking their way.

"Not so fast, boys!" Ivy exclaimed. "Whoever said you can run away from me now? I'm about to wrap you up!"

Ivy summoned her vines to wrap up Sammy and Jimmy from making a getaway. They started to scream and embrace themselves until something ceased her vines.

"Angelic reversal mirror!" Phantom Angel shouted, as Ivy's vines were now turned against herself and Hopper. Then, she immediately turned to the Slapjack brothers. "Sammy, Jimmy, are you two alright?"

"We're okay, thanks to you!" Sammy answered happily.

"Yeah, we're still all in one piece though!" Jimmy replied.

"Then, I think you two should run for your lives when you still have a chance!" said Masked Swordmaster.

"Good point, we're on it!" said Sammy.

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed.

After Sammy and Jimmy left right away, Ivy and Hopper were struggling to get those vines loosened. This might be the chance for the Duo of Justice to show off their new weapons with their new power. So, Phantom Angel summoned her crystal staff vertically between her hands. She twirled it around and raised it above to call out her new ultimate attack.

"Pure crystal elimination!" Phantom Angel shouted.

Phantom Angel's crystal staff began to spread with light magic crystal attack on Ivy. As soon as the evil mistress of the plants screamed, the light crystal trapped her inside and shattered by itself that killed her off. Not only that happened, but it also removed the curse from Hopper. When the dark poison crystal was removed from his heart, it shattered into tiny pieces and disappeared into thin air before the penguin fainted.

Several minutes later, Hopper slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the Duo of Justice. He stood up, looked around, and didn't seem to remember of what just happened. So, they were starting to fill him in with details.

"Hopper, do you remember the time when you tried to evacuate from Emblem?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Y-Yes, I think I remember that, slushie..." Hopper replied. "But the next thing I knew was that I suddenly blacked out, and I don't remember the rest after that..."

"But at least, you're back to normal, Hopper," said Phantom Angel. "Even if you don't remember anything at all, you're still okay."

After Ivy was gone and Hopper was back to normal, the Duo of Justice had arrived at the police station to cure the rest of the animals back to normal. With the power of the pure crystal, Phantom Angel used her staff to remove the dark poison crystal from the animals' hearts. Once the animals were back to normal, Booker and Copper released them from the prison cells. None of them had any idea of where they were now or what just happened so sudden. Finally, the police officers saluted the dynamic duo for making the job well done.

"Thank you so much, Duo of Justice!" said Copper. "With the evil spell was finally broken, our job will be a lot easier once again!"

"That's right, we can't thank you enough..." said Booker quietly.

"Don't sweat it, guys!" said Phantom Angel. "It's the least we can do for StarLily's sake!"

"Exactly, you two won't get anymore stress from now on," said Masked Swordmaster. "Since our job is done for today, we should get going right away."

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster left the police station after curing the animals back to their normal selves. Suddenly, they ran into Katrina whose eyes were glimmering at them. She was not alone, their guardians were with her as well.

"Well done, young heroes," said Katrina. "You've finally unlocked the new power in your dreams, and my prediction has been fulfilled."

"Wait, so do you mean to tell us that our fortune, you gave us, was actually...?" Phantom Angel asked curiously.

"Exactly, the answer to your bigger problems..."

"Of course, I think that's what Katrina means!" said Masked Swordmaster. "The pure crystal is the best solution we've been looking for!"

"That is exactly our point!" said Neon.

"With the pure crystal power in your hands, no villains will stop you!" said Serena.

"That's right!" said Phantom Angel. "We will finally defeat Allen in no time!"

Masked Swordmaster cleared his throat and turned around for a second. Phantom Angel was curious about his reaction whether she said something wrong or not. Katrina, Serena, and Neon were just glancing at each other for a second.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Phantom Angel asked in confusion.

"Oh no, it's not like that at all..." Masked Swordmaster replied softly. "It's just that I...I mean, about what happened the other day, it would've been my fault."

"What?" Serena asked.

"Masked Swordmaster!" Neon exclaimed.

"If this is about trespassing Allen's ship in order to rescue Lorelei and Darren, then it's not really your fault," said Phantom Angel. "It must've been part of Allen's plan."

"No, that's not the point!" said Masked Swordmaster. "What I meant to say is I should've told you all about Allen in the first place!"

Phantom Angel has no idea of what to say. Neither did Katrina, Serena, and Neon as they were glancing at each other in the confused way. After a moment of silence, Phantom Angel bit her lip and began to speak.

"So, is this what troubles you in the first place?" the angel asked.

"Yes, it is..." Masked Swordmaster sighed. "Allen was like a childhood friend to me before we become enemies..."

"Excuse me? He's your WHAT?!"

"Allen is Robert's childhood friend," Neon explained. "They used to be friends in the past...Until few moments later, Allen found the dark poison crystal in the ocean while he was scuba diving. As soon as he touched it, the darkness suddenly awakened him. That crystal chose him because he carries the evil blood in his veins!"

"The evil blood? Oh, just like Teb was carrying the evil blood, too! Right, Serena?"

"Yes, that's exactly right, Phantom Angel!" Serena explained. "I have heard that those who carried the evil blood will be awakened as a villain in some point. They will remain evil for the rest of their lives and never return to their normal state again."

"And this is what worries me more..." said Masked Swordmaster. "When Allen possessed the evil blood, he will never be the same anymore! Which means, the Allen I know no longer exists in my life..."

"Even if we don't get Allen back to normal, then there's no other choice but to kill him, right?" said Phantom Angel.

"Perhaps so...But first, we must get past his retainers before we will reach him!"

Masked Swordmaster finally had his confidence which made Phantom Angel really happy. They would never know when Allen's madness could end. The time would only tell for their future's sake.


	24. A Fiery To Remember

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 23: A Fiery To Remember

At night, Robert was having a dream about what happened back in Emblem. He was somewhere in the building and got trapped in the fire. For some reason, he couldn't move at all and was blacked out all of the sudden. As soon as he woke up from his dream, he quickly rose up from his bed and looked around his room. Then, he looked at one of his hands and clutched it really tightly.

The next morning, Vicki went to the hotel to find Robert and meet him there. As soon as she saw him at the dining room, she came to the table and sat next to him. She saw him eating his oatmeal very slowly and had a feeling that something was wrong with him.

"Morning, Robert," said Vicki.

"Oh morning, Vicki," said Robert, as he swallowed his oatmeal after chewing it. "How are you?"

"Doing good! And you?"

"I'm alright..."

"Oh really? You don't look alright to me..."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

"Oh well...how do I put it this way? From the start, I've noticed that you've been eating very slowly; and I don't see you eat _that_ slow!"

Robert got choked and coughed really hard until he could breathe again. "Okay, I admit it. There is something wrong with me today..."

"Then, care to explain it to me?"

Robert began his explanation to Vicki about the dream he had last night. He was somewhere inside of the building and got trapped in the fire before he passed out. That's all he knew, and Vicki remembered the time when he told her about it in their heroic versions on StarLily's anniversary.

"Ah right, I believe you told me that on StarLily's anniversary, correct?" said Vicki. "You know, the vision you had while we rescued Isabelle from the burning town hall?"

"Yes, that's right!" said Robert. "It's the same vision that I first had when we saved her. I can't point that out of why I couldn't remember..."

"I guess we have a mystery to solve..."

At the ship, Allen was looking at the candle's flame which it was flickering. Then, he glanced at the dark poison crystal he had around his neck. All of the sudden, Flare stopped by and knocked on the door very lightly.

"Master Allen, is this a good time for me to see you or perhaps I'll come back later?" Flare asked.

"What do you need, Flare?" Allen asked.

"Oh, I'm just telling you that I'm going to give those Duo of Justice some burning after Ivy's death!"

"I'm already aware of her death, but I don't know how the dynamic duo received the power much stronger than before! Just be careful when you face them, okay?"

"Yes, sir!" Flare bowed down to Allen before she left.

Back at StarLily, Vicki and Robert were walking around the town. When they stopped by at the fire pit, they warmed up their hands for just a few minutes. All of the sudden, Robert had a vision about getting trapped himself in the fire again. It frightened him as he quickly put his hands into his pockets.

"Hey Robert, what's wrong?" Vicki asked.

"It's happening again..." Robert replied, shaking his head.

"About trapping yourself in the fire, you mean?"

"Yes..."

"Do you remember anything else, besides fire?"

"Yes, there is something else...I remembered there were two people walking away from the fire and abandoned me."

"Two people, huh?"

While Vicki was thinking really hard about the two unknown people, she couldn't even point that out of who they were. She wouldn't believe that they were Lorelei and Darren because they never left his side, that's for sure. Unless, they must've been Allen and one of his retainers or possibly both of them. Suddenly, someone stopped by and interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey guys!" said Nick. "What are you both been doing?"

"Oh hi, Nick and Serenity!" said Robert. "We were talking about-"

"Planning to go find a place that is romantic!" said Vicki, after she interrupted Robert.

"Oh well, I wish there's a place that is very romantic," said Serenity, "but I can't seem to point that out of where that is..."

"Me neither..." Nick shrugged. "Unless if you two found one, let me or Serenity know, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, sure thing..." said Robert, as he gave Vicki an awkward stare.

"Well then, we'll see you guys later!" said Serenity, as she and Nick started to walk away from Vicki and Robert.

After Nick and Serenity left so sudden, Vicki made a heavy sigh and Robert quickly scratched his head. He cleared his throat and started to ask her a question.

"What the heck was that for?" Robert asked. "I was about to tell them that we're just discussing about-"

"The whole fire incident you had in the past?" said Vicki sternly. "Robert, did you forget that we're not supposed to discuss this topic in front of everyone?"

"Oh, that's right! I did mentioned that before, have I? Probably, I almost forgot about it..."

"Yeah, you sure did..."

Later at night, Robert was lying on the bed, but he couldn't sleep at all. He was looking at the candlelight which it was flickering on the table. All of the sudden, he had a vision once again. He was on the floor coughing while the fire was still burning inside of the building. Then, he saw two people standing in front of him, laughing in a darker way. As soon as he looked close enough, two people looked so famailar to him before they turned their backs on him and walked away. When the vision ended, he quickly sat up from his bed and shook his head.

"Oh my god, I think I know who those people are..." said Robert anxiously.

The next day, Vicki was sitting at the town tree and started to drink her coffee. Robert immediately came to see her and sat next to her. He was ready to tell her of who those two mysterious people were.

"Vicki, I had this vision again last night," Robert explained. "I remembered who those two people were; and they started the fire in the first place!"

"Then, who are they exactly?" Vicki asked.

Before Robert could answer Vicki's question, he suddenly saw a fireball approaching to them. He quickly dragged her away from the town tree before they got a direct hit. They immediately turned around and saw of who started throwing the fireball.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but it's time to burn you into crisp!" Flare exclaimed.

"Hey, we're not expecting you to show up by the time like this!" Vicki exclaimed.

"Yeah, we're going to stop you no matter what!" said Robert angrily.

"I'm sorry, but who's 'we'?" said Flare, being confused.

"Come on, Vicki, let's do this!"

"Right!" Vicki nodded.

Vicki and Robert began to transform into their heroic versions. This was the first time Flare found out that Vicki was Phantom Angel. So, the Duo of Justice were ready to stop their villains no matter what.

"I don't believe this!" said Flare surprisingly. "The mayor of StarLily is actually Phantom Angel?! So be it! I will burn you into cinders, too! Henchmen, attack!"

The Duo of Justice were fighting off against Flare's henchmen. Flare was ready to unleash her fire power, but she didn't notice that Sammy and Jimmy were coming to her direction. But they started to panic as their eyes and mouths were wide-opened and quietly avoided her before she caught them in sight. She called out the koala wearing the sunglasses named Eugene. She gave him the torch, and he started to throw it at the dynamic duo. When the Duo of Justice were through with the henchmen, Masked Swordmaster pushed Phantom Angel aside and stepped away before the torch incinerated them. As soon as the torch touched the ground, the fire began to separate them from each other.

"Oh no, Masked Swordmaster!" Phantom Angel shouted, as she was frightened when she saw her ally got surrounded by fire.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be alright!" Masked Swordmaster shouted, while he was starting to cough.

"As soon as the fire grows bigger, your so-called knight in shining armor will be turned into ashes, Phantom Angel!" Flare laughed.

Masked Swordmaster defended himself while he was trying to get away from the fire. But suddenly, the fire was getting bigger now that he couldn't escape. Few seconds later, the vision started to come back to him before he collapsed to the ground.

It all started one year ago, Allen started barging into Robert's house without knocking the door. Masked Swordmaster immediately stopped him from trespassing inside of the house. So, he pushed him aside and noticed that there's a small box on the table. The white knight opened the box and found something very unexpectedly. He slowly moved away from it and leaned against the wall. All of the sudden, someone knocked him down right away and made him fell to the floor. He slowly turned around and saw of who it was.

"C-Charlene...?" Masked Swordmaster groaned. "W-Why? Why are you doing this?"

"I'm just doing this for my beloved Allen's sake, you fool!" Charlene answered, as she pinned down Masked Swordmaster with her scepter.

"That's right, getting my revenge is my main priority!" Allen exclaimed, as he took the box that contained the dark poison crystal and put it next to his foe's face. "Sleep tight while I'm setting this place on fire!"

Masked Swordmaster tried to move away from the dark poison crystal and stop his enemies, but he was too weak to move. As soon as Allen started up the fire, he and Charlene left Robert's house and started to laugh. The white knight began to cough so hard that he could barely move a muscle. While the fire was spreading inside of the house, he was sweating very fast and fell unconscious all of the sudden. Few moments later, he heard footsteps approaching when he was out cold.

_"Masked Swordmaster!"_ the first voice shouted.

_"Big brother!"_ the second voice cried. _"Darren, we've got to save him somehow! Otherwise, he will die!"_

_"Yeah, I'm on it, Lorelei!"_

Everything seemed to be dark for Masked Swordmaster because he was still unconscious. What he felt right now was the pain, nothing else during the fire incident. All of the sudden, someone quickly approached to him and gave him the comfort hug.

_"Oh man, I'm so glad that you haven't turn into ashes yet!"_ said the familiar voice.

_"I...haven't?"_ said Masked Swordmaster quietly, while his eyes were still closed.

_"No, you haven't! It's a good thing that I surpassed the fire with my portal magic and found you unharmed!"_

_"P-Portal magic?"_ Masked Swordmaster suddenly opened his eyes and saw Phantom Angel holding him tight. "Phantom Angel?! Is this a dream or is this real?"

"Everything around us looks real to me!" Phantom Angel replied.

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were inside of the barrier to protect themselves from the fire. Phantom Angel used her crystal staff to extinguish the fire on one side. Masked Swordmaster used his crystalized sword to cool it off on another side. After the huge fire was gone, Phantom Angel's barrier had disappeared, too. Flare was not very happy when she saw the dynamic duo had survived.

"No way, you two are still standing?!" said Flare angrily.

"Of course we're still standing, Flare!" said Phantom Angel, as she was ready to call out her attack. "Crystal whirlpool wrap!"

The whirlpool surrounded Flare and made her got all wet. As soon as it disappeared, she spat out of the water from her mouth. Then, she was ready to launch her fire attack at the Duo of Justice. But something was not right, Flare's fire power was somehow extinguished.

"No, my fire power!" Flare exclaimed. "What did you do?!"

"Let's just say Phantom Angel cooled you down already," Masked Swordmaster grinned, as he turned to his ally. "Time to give Flare the grand finale, Phantom Angel!"

That was the cue for Phantom Angel as she used her crystal staff to call out her ultimate attack and defeated Flare. Right after the fiery warrior was eliminated, the curse was removed from Eugene and he was back to his normal self. Even though, he didn't remember exactly of what happened or where he was right now.

One hour later, Vicki and Robert were standing in front of the fire pit to warm up their hands. Robert began to explain the situation to Vicki about the fire incident in his past. He told her about who the two people were in his vision. He finally remembered of where he was and what he was doing before Allen started the fire. He also told her that he heard voices, including Phantom Angel's when he was blacked out. That was the end of his explanation.

"Ah, so Allen and Charlene were trespassing your house before he started the fire?" said Vicki.

"Yes, they were there," said Robert. "They tried to burn me into crisp when I was too weak to move with the dark poison crystal beside me."

"I see...But after that happened, you heard voices out of nowhere, including mine's?"

"Yeah, but two voices sounded very familiar when I was unconscious..."

"Let me guess...Lorelei and Darren, I assume?"

"That's them alright! After I heard them, I suddenly heard your voice as well before I woke up and regained my conscious!"

Vicki hugged Robert very tightly for comfort and gave him a kiss. They were very relieved that their topic was solved and kept it in secret. As soon as they walked away from the fire pit, they ran into their friends and siblings who were standing right behind them.

"Robert was afraid of the fire in his past, and you didn't even tell us at all, sis?" said Nick, raising his eyebrow.

"No, he wasn't really afraid of the fire, Nick," Vicki explained. "He just had a memory about what happened to himself when he was trapped in the fire back in Emblem."

"Oh, of course, I remember that," said Lorelei. "Darren and I rushed to our house and saw my big brother lying on the floor unconscious while the fire was spreading!"

"So, you _do_ remember that time," said Robert.

"Exactly, we saved you from the horrible fire, dude," said Darren.

"Ah, that make sense now! I'm not sure why I can't remember exactly from the first place until now!"

"Talk about the strange case, isn't it?" said Vicki.

While everyone was still talking and laughing at the same time, Robert had no trouble of having a vision about fire in his past anymore. With Vicki by his side, he had a good feeling that his life would change so sudden. He knew that he would always stay by her side forever.


	25. Revenge Of The Clown

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 24: Revenge Of The Clown

At the ship, Allen was staring at the dark poison crystal and clutching it with the palm of his hand. He was so furious that the Duo of Justice received their new power somehow, and they're getting a lot stronger than before. With Ivy and Flare's deaths and the animals were no longer in Allen's evil control, he was now getting frustrated.

"I feel like the tables were now turning!" Allen yelled. "That fool, Robert is going to pay for this! And that includes his ally or his actual girlfriend, Vicki Silverwing! Those two won't get away that easily once I will suffer them!"

Mastermind Clown couldn't help overhearing of what Allen was saying. He rubbed his chin with his fingers and had an idea. It was rotten and sinister idea that would make Allen so proud of him.

"Oh, I just had an excellent idea," said Mastermind Clown quietly. "Since I may already knew Robert's secret identity, which means Phantom Angel is actually Vicki. Hmm, I'm not sure if my cousin's ally told me about this before he died...But oh well! Anyways, time to proceed my evil plan!"

Mastermind Clown quietly snickered as he rushed to his compartment before he was heading to StarLily. He looked at the photo of himself and his cousin, Nightmare Mime. He swore to him that he would get his revenge on the Duo of Justice, but mainly on Phantom Angel who killed his cousin one year ago.

In StarLily, Vicki was in a big hurry to meet up with Robert at Main Street. She ran between Nick and Serenity who were about to kiss each other. He told his sister to watch where she was going, but she couldn't hear him. Then, she ran past Sammy and Jimmy who just got back from Main Street. Both of them shrugged and continued walking after she pushed them aside. Finally, Vicki saw Robert who was sitting on the bench while waiting for her.

"Hey Robert!" Vicki called. "Sorry, I'm late!"

"Oh, it's alright, Vicki," said Robert. "I just want to tell you something."

"And what's that?"

"Well, ever since the day I first met you, it feels as though that I've been drawn towards you."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is my heart suddenly belongs to you. Do you feel the same way as I am?"

"Now that you mentioned it, I really do!"

"So, do you want to hang out with me as always?"

"Yes, I'd love to!"

Vicki gave Robert a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. He was blushing very slightly as he gave her a kiss in return. Nobody noticed that Mastermind Clown was watching over them from the top of the building. So, he quickly vanished into thin air and was nowhere in sight.

In the evening, Vicki rushed to the hotel to find Robert. She finally saw him at the dining room with Lorelei and Darren. She quickly went to the table and sat next to Robert for a bit.

"Hey guys, I have an exciting news!" said Vicki excitedly. "The meteor shower is coming tonight! Robert, do you want to join me watching the meteor shower?"

"Sure, I will love to!" Robert answered.

"Great! Lorelei, Darren, you two can watch the meteor shower, too if you want!"

"Yes, that will be very exciting!" said Lorelei.

"We will be there tonight for sure!" said Darren.

"Awesome! I bet Nick and Serenity will be watching the meteor shower, too!" said Vicki. "So, I'll see you guys later!"

After Vicki left the dining room, Robert couldn't help but to think about her. He chuckled and smiled that all he could think of was her. While Lorelei and Darren were talking about the meteor shower, they never noticed that Robert was daydreaming so sudden.

Vicki had arrived back in town and started to smile daintily. She looked up in the sky and couldn't stop thinking about Robert. When she looked away from the sky, she suddenly saw Nick and Serenity who were standing in front of her.

"Oh hey guys!" said Vicki.

"Hey Vicki!" said Serenity.

"Hey sis, did you ask Robert to join you watch the meteor shower tonight?" Nick asked.

"I did, and he said he would love to join me," Vicki replied.

"That's fantastic, Vicki!" said Serenity. "I hope you two will have a good time together."

"Yeah, both of you will have a good quality time together," said Nick flatly.

"We certainly will, little brother," said Vicki, slapping Nick's shoulder really hard. "Just like you and Serenity will always be together forever!"

After Vicki gave Nick a hard slap, he rubbed his shoulder to relieve his pain. He glared at his older sister and frowned without her noticing.

Later at night, the meteor shower began to appear in the sky. Everyone, in town, walked around to see the meteor shower while they were doing their business. Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were sitting on the log bench, watching the starry sky together. Until Sammy and Jimmy showed up, they blocked their view and were also watching the sky. Two of the villagers tried to see the meteor shower in the sky by moving their heads sideways.

"Hey Sammy, Jimmy, can you both move aside please?" Nick asked, being annoyed.

"Yeah, can't you see we're watching the meteor shower, too?" said Darren.

"Well, goody-goody nerds, why don't you move elsewhere, instead of talking to us?" Sammy asked arrogantly.

"Yeah, just run along instead," said Jimmy.

Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren stood up from the log bench, ignored the Slapjack brothers, and decided to go elsewhere. Once they were heading to the town plaza, they saw the clown performing his tricks. So, they decided to watch the performance instead, just like the animals. They were watching the clown juggling the balls and bowling pins. Then, he passed them on to his assistant who appeared to be a bear cub with the squiggly mouth named Pudge.

Meanwhile, Vicki and Robert left the hotel for dinner and headed straight to the town. When they were heading to the town plaza, they saw the crowd watching the clown doing his amazing tricks. Then, they immediately saw Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren watching the performance, including the Slapjacks.

"Well, well, it looks like someone is putting up a show during the meteor shower," said Robert.

"Yeah, I bet he did..." said Vicki. "But something's not right somehow..."

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

Suddenly, the clown took out the two canes; one for himself and another for Pudge. They both twirled their canes while they were dancing for the grand finale. As soon as they stopped dancing, they began to spray in front of the crowd with smoke. Everyone coughed so hard that they suddenly collapsed to the ground. Vicki and Robert quickly hid behind the town hall and began to transform right away. The clown snapped his fingers, the smoke appeard as it was surrounding him, and changed his true form.

"Ha ha ha! That will put the end of my show business!" Mastermind Clown laughed.

"Then, I'm afraid your real show ends here right now!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, as Mastermind Clown and Pudge immediately saw her and Masked Swordmaster.

"That's right, what you showed the audience is nothing but a dirty trick!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed.

"And now...The Duo of Justice are here!" said the dynamic duo in unison.

"Ugh, that motto of yours is boring me already..." said Mastermind Clown flatly. "But anyways, henchmen, attack the dynamic duo now!"

The Duo of Justice were fighting off against Mastermind Clown's henchmen. The evil clown quickly climbed up the town tree and Pudge joined him as he quickly sat on the tree branch. After the duo were done with the henchmen, they were now searching for Mastermind Clown and Pudge anywhere. Until few seconds later, the cursed bear cub swung by the rope which it was tied onto the tree branch and knocked Masked Swordmaster to the ground.

"Masked Swordmaster, are you alright?" Phantom Angel asked. She was about to approach her ally, but she was stopped by Mastermind Clown who grabbed her from behind.

"Your prince charming is down right now!" Mastermind Clown exclaimed. "Now, it's time for you to suffer after what you did to my cousin!"

"Your cousin is so, like, last year's news, Clown! And get your hands off me!"

"Let her go, you freakshow!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, after he stood up.

"Stay out of this, you hard-headed knight!" said Mastermind Clown, as he used his hula hoop to bind Masked Swordmaster from interfering.

"H-Hey, get this thing off me!"

Mastermind Clown ignored of what Masked Swordmaster was saying to him. He took out the dagger from his pocket while he was holding onto Phantom Angel. She looked at the sharp, pointy dagger that the evil clown held in his hand and was terrified of what he was trying to do next. Masked Swordmaster was struggling as he was trying to break the hoop as he could. Mastermind Clown was pointing at Phantom Angel's throat with his dagger. Then, he slowly pointed at her chest, which it gave her the chills. The white knight couldn't take this anymore as he tried to break free with all his might. All of the sudden, Mastermind Clown was ready to stab Phantom Angel on the side of her stomach. The angel cried for her ally's help when her tears fell from her eyes. Masked Swordmaster finally broke free and rescued his ally from the evil clown's threat.

"Clown, don't you dare kill my girl!" Masked Swordmaster growled, as he punched the evil clown's face and knocked him to the ground. Then, he helped Phantom Angel to get up and hugged her for comfort. "Phantom Angel, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Phantom Angel replied, as she quickly removed her tears from her eyes and began to blush slightly. "And thank you for saving my life."

"Hey, I'm still standing you know!" said Mastermind Clown. "And I still want revenge!"

"Man, he never gets tired of it, does he?" said Masked Swordmaster, rolling his eyes.

"No, I'm afraid not," said Phantom Angel. "But allow me to give him a taste...of angelic musical vibration!"

After Phantom Angel threw her attack at Mastermind Clown, he got the direct hit and was knocked down to the town tree before he faced down to the ground. She used her crystal staff to eliminate the evil clown and banished him with her ultimate attack.

"NO! Nightmare Mime, I'm so sorry that I fail to avenge you!" Mastermind Clown screamed. "But I'll be joining you...!"

When Mastermind Clown's life came to the end, Pudge returned to normal after the curse was removed. Plus, everyone, at the town plaza, was finally awakened from the evil clown's smoke. Then, they saw the Duo of Justice who saved their lives from evil. The dynamic duo waved at the crowd and smiled before they took their leave. Isabelle quickly left the town hall and was about to take a picture of them, but she somehow missed them.

"That's strange, where did they go?" Isabelle asked to herself.

While the meteor shower was still ongoing, everyone was looking at the sky, especially Isabelle. Some made a wish and hoped that their wish would finally come true.

Somewhere on top of the building at Main Street, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were also watching the meteor shower in private. The angel was very glad that she finally found someone to protect her from vicious bad guys. The white knight was very pleased that he finally found someone who would always give him gratitude, unlike the girl he met in the past. It was a very lovely night for both of them as they were starting to kiss each other.


	26. Good Old Fishing

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 25: Good Old Fishing

It was a very good day for the fishing tourney to begin, the gray beaver named Chip was in charge of this tourney. Everyone, in town, participated the fishing tourney and started to catch a fish. Robert has no idea of where to start in order to catch a fish. Then, he immediately saw Vicki by the river where she was waiting for the fish to take a bait.

"Hey Vicki!" Robert called.

"Hey Robert!" Vicki called back. "Did you catch a fish yet?"

"No, not yet. I am looking for an area to catch one though..."

"Then, why not catching one in the river?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me!"

Robert started to cast his fishing rod and waited for the fish to take a bait. While he was waiting, Vicki felt her fishing rod moving and started to reel it in. She caught the black bass from the river and brought it to Chip right away. Few seconds later, Robert quickly reeled his fishing rod and caught the koi. So, he took it to Chip and checked out the results. After the beaver measured Vicki's fish, he measured Robert's fish and was very impressed.

"Ooh, this is excellent!" said Chip excitedly. "Your fish is forty-two inches tall, and you're now in the first place!"

"Wow, really?" said Robert surprisingly. "I wasn't expecting that at all, but it's amazing though!"

"Oh my, that's a very good fish you caught there, Robert!" said Vicki. "Way to go!"

"Ha, thanks!"

Sammy and Jimmy were behind the town tree and overheard the results. They were so pissed off because neither of them caught a single fish at all. So, they quietly walked away and looked around to see if nobody was present at that time.

"Did you hear that, Sammy?" Jimmy asked. "Goldenrod got the big fish, and all we have right now are empty-handed!"

"I know, but we will catch a big fish for sure!" said Sammy. "So that way, we will win the trophy! That's for sure!"

"Then, where do we begin?"

"Let's begin fishing at the river!"

Sammy and Jimmy were starting to fish at the river. When one of their rods got the bite, Sammy started reeling it in. But all he caught was the trash, and he was starting to get annoyed. The next location was the lake, so they casted their fishing rods and waited for the fishes to take a bait. As soon as one of them took a bait, Jimmy reeled his fishing rod and caught a crucian carp, which it wasn't big enough for him. Finally, they were heading to the beach and starting to cast their rods. All of the sudden, they spotted Vicki and Robert who were also fishing there as well.

"Hey, what's up, Silverwing, Goldenrod?" Sammy asked.

"Goldstein!" said Robert, correcting his last name to Sammy. "We're trying to catch a bigger fish as we can."

"That's right!" Vicki agreed. "So, how did it go for both of you?"

"We didn't catch a fish yet, so we're still searching..." Jimmy answered. But Sammy elbowed him and gave him a glare for telling Vicki and Robert.

"Well, good luck to both of you," said Robert. "I hope you guys will catch one soon."

"Oh, we will alright!" said Sammy.

Suddenly, Sammy started reeling his fishing rod and caught the boot, instead of the fish. Vicki and Robert started to chuckle very lightly. Then, Jimmy reeled his fishing rod, but he caught an empty can instead. Vicki and Robert couldn't help but to laugh. The twins were very frustrated that they started to cast their fishing rods together. But they didn't notice that their hooks were hooking up their pants and lured themselves into the ocean waves. Vicki and Robert began to laugh so hard that it was really funny than the last ones.

Meanwhile, Chip was measuring the fish that Serenity caught from the lake before telling her the results. Then, he measured Nick's fish that he caught from the river and told him the results. After they thanked him and left right away, Chip checked the clock to see what time it was right now. So, he quickly went to his tent and prepared the announcement of the winners before the fishing tourney would end soon. Until suddenly, someone knocked him down and made him fell unconscious.

Several minutes later, Lorelei and Darren caught their fishes and sent them to Chip so he could measure them. But something was amiss, the beaver was not here at the moment. They decided to check out the tent to see if he was inside. As soon as they entered, they found Chip got tied up and gagged at the same time. Lorelei and Darren quickly untied him, but they were stopped by someone who knocked them down with the stick.

Vicki and Robert were walking around for a bit and found a spot to catch a fish. All of the sudden, Robert began to sense something very negative and it came from Chip's tent. Vicki glanced at her boyfriend and was curious about his reaction.

"Hey Robert, what's wrong?" Vicki asked.

"Did you sense something very unusual from Chip's tent?" Robert asked, ignoring Vicki's question.

"Chip's tent, huh? Hmm..." Suddenly, Vicki also sensed something very sinister from the beaver's tent. "Oh! Now that you mentioned it, I sensed it, too! You don't suppose...?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so...Come on, let's quickly transform!"

"Right! Angelic power..."

"Knight power..."

"Action!" the duo shouted altogether, as they began their transformations.

Back at Chip's tent, the henchmen tied Lorelei and Darren up and hooked them along with Chip. Arrowhead and his octopus slave named Octavian were ready to strike them down with the harpoon. Until the Duo of Justice had arrived to stop them, they stopped their plan and glared at the duo.

"Hold it right there!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"You'd better let them go or else!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed.

"Or else what?" Arrowhead asked.

"Or else, you're going to get it big time!"

Arrowhead sighed heavily. "Henchmen, throw those two out of the tent now."

The Duo of Justice fought against Arrowhead's henchmen and lured them out of the tent. Then, they threw Arrowhead and Octavian out of there as well. When they were outside of Chip's tent, the archer shot the arrows at the dynamic duo. They quickly dodged them and Masked Swordmaster used his crystalized sword to slice Arrowhead's bow. He kicked him on the stomach and made him fell to the ground.

"Nice sword you've got there, tough guy," said Arrowhead, as he took out his two crossbows. "But you wouldn't be so tough with this!"

"That's what you think, Arrowhead!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he unleashed his new attack. "Pure crystal X-slash!"

Masked Swordmaster's crystalized sword cut down Arrowhead's crossbows into little pieces. The archer was very frustrated that he didn't have any other weapons to use. Finally, the white knight unleashed his new ultimate attack as he spun his sword, threw it in the air and caught it, and made a stance.

"Crystal sword strike!" Masked Swordmaster shouted, as his crystalized sword began to shine and struck down Arrowhead.

When the light of pure crystal surrounded Arrowhead, he was eliminated and was never seen again. Not only that he's gone, but the evil curse was removed from Octavian and the octopus was back to normal. As soon as it was over, the Duo of Justice went to the tent to untie Chip, Lorelei, and Darren right away.

It was few minutes before the fishing tourney was over, Vicki and Robert caught their own fishes and went straight to Chip so he could measure them. The beaver was amazed that they caught the same fish, but one of them was a bit bigger than another. As soon as the tourney was over, it's time to wrap things up for Chip as he was ready to make the announcement.

When everybody gathered around inside of the tent to see who the winners were, the three winners were standing on the podium patiently. Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were surprised that they found out of who the first winner was.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming!" Chip announced. "Now is the time to announce of who the winners are in the fishing tourney! The third winner who caught fifty-two inch sea bass is Tammi! The second winner who caught one hundred twenty-nine inch tuna is Vicki! And last, but not least, the first winner who caught one hundred thirty inch tuna is Robert! Congratulations to the winners! Let's give them a round of applause!"

After Chip gave the winners the fish trophies, everybody gave them a round of applause. They were so happy that they actually won the fishing tourney. Sammy and Jimmy, on the other hand, were not and were very disappointed because they didn't win the tourney. So, they left the tent and went straight home instead.


	27. Spending Time With The Slapjacks

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 26: Spending Time With The Slapjacks

Vicki, Serenity, and Lorelei were hanging out at the Roost for a cup of coffee. They were all talking about their boyfriends since the mayor finally got one. All of the sudden, Sammy and Jimmy had enter the Roost and began to interrupt their conversation.

"Hey ladies!" said Sammy. "Are you all talking about the nerdy boys I assume?"

"Yeah, we just heard that Mayor V finally had one, am I right?" said Jimmy.

"Yes, you silly twins, I finally found a boyfriend," Vicki answered, "and his name is Robert Goldstein!"

"Yeah, just as we suspected," Sammy smirked. "But anyways, what do your boyfriends have that we don't?"

"Good and simple question..." Serenity grinned.

"A girlfriend, that's what!" Lorelei replied.

Before Sammy and Jimmy could say anything else, they scratched their heads and frowned at the same time. Jimmy bit his lip while Sammy cleared his throat.

"T-That is a very good point you've got there, Lorelei..." said Sammy.

"Unless if you and Serenity will, you know, plan to dump your boyfriends, maybe you will come to us then?" Jimmy suggested.

"Whoa there, Serenity and Lorelei are not interested in you two!" Vicki exclaimed.

"Hey, nobody asked your opinion, mayor!" said Sammy.

"Yeah, we're not interested in you, either!" said Jimmy.

After Sammy and Jimmy left the Roost, the girls turned around and went back to their conversation. Vicki sipped her coffee and suddenly received the text message in her smartphone. She checked it out to see of who it's from and what it's all about.

"Guys, I have to go right now," said Vicki urgently. "Robert wants me to come to Club LOL right away."

Vicki had arrived at Club LOL and saw Robert who was standing against the wall, waiting for her. When he immediately saw her, he began to wave at her.

"Hey Robert, have you been waiting for me that long?" Vicki asked.

"Oh no, not too long if I do say so myself," Robert answered.

"Anyways, do you want to dance with me while DJ KK is hitting the tunes?"

"Oh, I would seriously love to, Vicki, but I would rather watch his performance instead..."

"Okay, that's fine with me then..."

While Robert was sitting and watching DJ KK's performance, Vicki was blending in with the crowd and started to cheer and dance at the same time. Sammy and Jimmy had enter Club LOL and spotted Robert sitting on the chair. When he saw them approaching, he began to frown that he wasn't expecting them at all.

"Hey Jimmy, look who it is..." said Sammy. "If it isn't the goody-goody boy wonder, Golddigger, is it?"

"It's Goldstein..." Robert sighed, as he was getting tired of correcting his last name to Sammy and Jimmy.

"Oh, right..." said Jimmy. "But anyways, why aren't you dancing with Silverwing?"

"Does that concern to any of you? Look, it's none of your business, alright?"

"Then, have it your way!" said Sammy. "Some attitude you have, compared to Silverwing's! Come on, Jimmy, let's go!"

After Sammy and Jimmy left Club LOL, Robert sighed heavily that they finally left him alone. Vicki got back from the crowd and sat next to him.

"I noticed there's a commotion between you and the Slapjack brothers," said Vicki. "What's all this about? Did they troubled you somehow?"

"Actually, they pissed me off for not saying my last name correctly," Robert explained.

"They'll never say your last name right anyways..."

"Well, that's exactly my point there!"

The next day, Sammy and Jimmy were leaning against the tree and having some thoughts. When they saw two girls passing by, they suddenly stared at them with their jaws dropped. One of the girls had a black ponytail and another had a yellow two braids on both sides. Sammy fell in love with the black-haired girl while Jimmy fell in love with the yellow-haired girl. They quickly stood up and approached to them right away.

"Uh, hey there!" Sammy stammered. "M-My name is Sammy, and this is my little brother, Jimmy!"

"S-So, w-what are your names?" Jimmy asked nervously.

"I'm Bl-Brandy, and this is my friend, E-Ellen!" the black-haired girl answered politely.

"It's nice to meet you both," Ellen smiled politely. "We're not from around here as far as you can tell, we're from, um...the town of Encore."

"Ah, Encore, we've never been to this town before," said Sammy, as Brandy and Ellen exchanged glances. "But perhaps, we will visit there someday."

"Oh yes, it's very luxurious alright!" said Brandy. "It's way more than this stinky...I mean, normal! Normal, small town that you're living right now!"

"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Ellen agreed.

"Well, it's very nice to talk to you both," said Jimmy. "Although, how would you two like to hang out with us?"

Brandy and Ellen exchanged glances once again with their crooked smiles. Then, they looked back at the Slapjack brothers with their fake smiles.

"S-Sure, we don't see why not though," Brandy answered.

"Then, it's settled!" said Sammy excitedly.

At first, Sammy and Jimmy were taking Brandy and Ellen to the Roost and have some coffee. They were having some quality time together and getting to know each other. When they left the Roost, Nick and Serenity caught them hanging out with the girls they didn't know. Serenity quickly took a picture of the two pairs while Nick started to face palm that he wouldn't believe his eyes.

Next, the Slapjack twins were taking the girls to Main Street to check out the places. They went out for shopping, looking around the museum, and even getting their fortune told from the fortune-teller's shop. Katrina gave the girls a mean, hard glare without either of them noticing when the Slapjack brothers didn't even care at all. As soon as they left the shop, Lorelei and Darren wouldn't believe of what they were seeing. Darren's jaws were dropping while Lorelei took a picture of the Slapjack brothers hanging out with the girls.

Finally, Sammy and Jimmy took the girls to Club LOL to have some fun together. While DJ KK was playing the music, Sammy was dancing with Brandy and Jimmy was dancing with Ellen. The girls were very uncomfortable when they were dancing with the twins. Suddenly, Vicki and Robert entered the club and found Sammy and Jimmy dancing with the girls in a very strange way.

"I don't believe this..." said Robert quietly. "Since when did Sammy and Jimmy found their dates?"

"Who knows and who cares?" Vicki sighed heavily.

While Brandy and Ellen were dancing with the twins, they began to sense the heroes' presence somehow. So, they both nodded and winked at the same time. One of them started to launch the lightning attack and destroyed one of the lights from the ceiling. The crowd screamed and frightened as they had no idea of what just happened. Suddenly, the power went out which caused the club to black out that the animals were frightened even more. As soon as the power went back on, the girls' true identities were revealed. This could only mean that Brandy was really Blade and Ellen was Elly this whole time. Sammy and Jimmy were so shock that they started to tremble. Vicki and Robert quickly left the club and began to transform right away.

"Attention everyone, I'm afraid this club is about to close down for now!" Blade announced.

"That's right, we're going to tear this place down and every one of you in it!" Elly snickered, as she used her thunder powers to destroy everything in the club.

All of the animals began to scream and panic as they started to run away from the club. Sammy and Jimmy were running away as well, but Blade stopped them by using her daggers to pin them to the wall. As soon as the club was now empty, the henchmen had arrived along with the evil possessed light brown sheep named Timbra. Elly gave her the two wires so she could electrocute Sammy and Jimmy from the electric box. All of the sudden, the boomerang came out of nowhere and made Timbra dropped the wires from her hooves.

"Don't you even think about electrocuting the Slapjack brothers into a crisp!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, while the villains and the twins were paying attention to the Duo of Justice.

"That's right, you have no right to play around with their hearts, especially when you tried to kill them!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed.

"And now, the Duo of Justice are here to stop you!" said the heroes in unison.

"Finally, we're very glad to see you both are here!" said Sammy happily.

"Yeah, we're finally saved!" said Jimmy joyfully. "And please get rid of those mean girls as you can!"

"How dare you both interrupt our plans?!" Blade growled.

"Yeah, you two have to ruin everything, now do you?!" Elly argued. "Henchmen, stop them!"

The Duo of Justice were fighting off the henchmen one by one until they were defeated. Blade took out the smoke ball and threw it at the dynamic duo, but Phantom Angel countered it by hitting the smoke ball with her staff. As soon as the smoke ball went straight to Blade and Elly, they got choked up and started to cough. All of the sudden, they were confused themselves that they started to throw their attacks everywhere, instead of targeting the Duo of Justice. The heroes defended themselves and headed for cover while the villainesses were launching their attacks wildly.

"Oh man, if that would've been us, then we could be in serious trouble," said Masked Swordmaster.

"Well, you've got that right," said Phantom Angel. "Since Blade and Elly were being distracted, now is our chance to save Sammy and Jimmy and get them out of here!"

"Ah, that's a good idea! Let's go!"

The Duo of Justice quickly set Sammy and Jimmy free before the mean girls were back to their normal state from confusion. The heroes told the twins to leave the club right away, and so they did. As soon as the confusion smoke started to wear off, Elly and Blade had no idea of what just happened. They finally remembered that they were supposed to stop the Duo of Justice at once. But when they turned around, the dynamic duo knocked them down to the floor.

"Pure crystal elimination!" Phantom Angel shouted.

"Crystal sword strike!" Masked Swordmaster shouted.

Phantom Angel eliminated Elly and Masked Swordmaster took down Blade with their pure crystal ultimate attacks. After they were gone, Timbra was free from Allen's evil control.

It's been a day since the incident of Blade and Elly, Sammy and Jimmy were very depressed and heartbroken. Vicki was the first to speak since she was their next door neighbor.

"Hey guys, don't be so down on yourselves," said Vicki. "I'm pretty sure that there are lots of girls waiting for you as your true love."

"Yeah, like what makes you so sure about that?" Sammy asked mournfully.

"Well, you may not find one right now, but I can assure you that you guys will find true love in the future."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that, Mayor V," said Jimmy glumly.

"But we will see about that..." said Sammy softly.

After Vicki had a chat with the twins, it was Nick's turn to talk to them since he was also their next door neighbor because he and Vicki were living in the same house. He didn't have a choice, but he has to cheer them up somehow.

"Guys, just chin up already, will you?" said Nick. "I know your luck didn't turn out well last night, but your good luck will be waiting in the future. Just trust me on this!"

"Well, thanks for pointing that out, Nicky-boy," said Sammy.

"Yeah, who knows whether luck will come to us or not..." said Jimmy. "But we thank you for that..."

When Nick was done talking with Sammy and Jimmy, it was Serenity's turn to talk to them. She might not liked them very much, but she tried her best to cheer them up somehow.

"Guys, listen...Vicki and Nick were right, you two really need to let it go," said Serenity. "Just forget about what happened last night, okay? Both of you really need to move on!"

"Like how exactly?" Sammy asked.

"Oh, I don't know...Maybe, you guys can go to the hotel and get some cake in the dining room. They're serving it right now."

"C-Cake? What kind of cake?" Jimmy asked, widening his eyes.

"Uh, chocolate cake I believe..."

"Chocolate cake?!" said Sammy happily. "We love chocolate cake!"

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he and Sammy began to smile. "Well, you know, we're feeling a lot better now! And it was all thanks to three of you!"

Sammy and Jimmy were rushing to the hotel to get some cake. Vicki, Nick, and Serenity were very glad that the Slapjack twins were not very sad anymore. They were very happy and back to their usual selves once again.


	28. Enter To The Ruined Town Of Emblem

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 27: Enter To The Ruined Town Of Emblem

Vicki and Robert were sitting at the town tree and looking at the starry sky together. Vicki was very curious about what Emblem was all of the sudden. So, she asked Robert about what his town was like before it was destroyed by Allen and his retainers. He gave her the response that Emblem was just plain and original, not like in StarLily.

"Plain and original, eh?" Vicki mumbled. "If only I could see your town myself, Robert, then it would've been great."

"I understand of what you're saying, Vicki," said Robert. "But now, it was destroyed by Allen...You can't even take the train to get there because Arrowhead destroyed the train tracks."

"Hmm, if only there's a way to get there somehow..."

"But I don't think there is. Even if there is a way to get there, then all you see in Emblem right now is in crumbles of earth."

"Oh man...But I don't care! If I want to go there and your town was in a bad shape, I'll be hoping to search for clues about the events of Emblem, especially Allen's darker secrets!"

"W-Wait a minute, you want to search for clues in Emblem? Why?"

"Oh, I have, like, so many questions that need answers right away! Especially, I need to know of what's happening between you and Allen back in Emblem one year ago!"

Robert sighed heavily. "Oh yeah, good luck with that...But I don't think that's going to happen because searching for clues is a very hard task, Vicki. Can we at least forget about this?"

Vicki moaned. "Oh, fine..."

Late at night, Vicki couldn't even sleep because all she could ever think of was going to Emblem to search for clues. She immediately took the bottle from the table and started to blow bubbles from the bubble wand. As soon as the tiny bubbles were formed into one big bubble, Serena was summoned.

"Oh Vicki, how may I help you?" Serena asked.

"Serena, there's something I have to tell you," Vicki explained. "You see, something came up to my mind and this may sound risky. It's just that...I really want to go to Emblem right this instant to search for clues!"

"E-E-Excuse me?! You want to go where? For what?"

"I said I want to go to Emblem to search for clues, Serena. There are so many questions that I need to find out desperately!"

"Well, I'm not certain that you can go there alone though. Neon did mention that Emblem was in a bad shape because of the dark poison crystal was now planted."

"I know, but that won't stop me from going there! My mind is already made up, and I'd say I want to go there this instant! Serena, will you help me? I really need your guidance."

"Well, I'm not going to complain about this, but I will lend you my power as I can!"

"Then, that settles it! We're going to Emblem by tomorrow morning!"

The next morning, Vicki was heading to the town plaza after she woke up. Serena appeared right in front of her, and they looked around to see if no one's around. So, Vicki summoned her crystal staff vertically and used her portal magic to go to Emblem.

Vicki and Serena had arrived in Emblem where it was completely destroyed. They started to look around the surroundings and sensed the negative vibe within this town. They immediately saw the dark poison crystal which it was planted at the town plaza. Vicki found a way to destroy the crystal so she started to place the bombs all around it. She changed her star compact into the lighter to light up the bombs. She quickly told Serena to head for cover while she was running away before the bombs began to explode. But it was too late for the dog guardian to head for cover because the bombs suddenly got exploded, and she was thrown into the river. Vicki rushed to the river and checked on her after the smoke was all cleared up.

"Hey Serena, are you alright?" Vicki asked.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine..." Serena answered, getting irritated. "News flash, Vicki...WHAT KIND OF IDEA WAS THAT?!"

"Erm, um, well...I thought for sure that the bombs would destroy the dark poison crystal. But it looks as though that the crystal is still there..."

"That is the most pathetic idea you came up with! The dark poison crystal is unbreakable, undamaged, and undestroyed that you will never take it down, not even the bombs would help! Neon told me about this!"

"Ugh, and I guess Robert didn't say anything about that..."

"Well, I guess he's not very keen after all...like you. That's what Neon told me."

"Wha-? Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Back at StarLily, Nick and Serenity were trying to contact Vicki, but there was no response whatsoever. They even tried to contact Serena from the fountain, but she wasn't there at all. All of the sudden, someone stopped by to see them for a moment.

"Hey guys, has any one of you seen Vicki at all?" Robert asked. "I tried to reach out to her on her smartphone, but she didn't answer."

"Uh, well..." Serenity stammered.

"She left in the morning, but she didn't say of where she was going..." Nick replied. "Although, she left the note saying that she's on the quest or something right now..."

"On the quest, eh?" said Robert curiously. "I wonder what kind of quest that is..."

Back at Emblem, Vicki and Serena were investigating the area to see if there's something different around here. Then, they immediately saw one house that was undamaged, unlike the other houses and buildings. Before they began to check it out, Vicki used her star compact to disguise herself as a witch.

"Quick question, Vicki, why do you have to disguise yourself as a witch?" Serena asked.

"Let's just say if someone's inside of that house, they may think that it's pretty rare for one ordinary human to appear at the ruined town," Vicki answered.

Vicki knocked on the door several times, but nobody answered. As soon as she slowly opened the door, she entered the house and looked around to see if anyone's home. But nobody was here at the moment, Serena began to sense if there were any traps around the house somewhere. Since there were no traps, Vicki and Serena began to investigate every room in the vacant house. The mayor spotted the journal on the desk so she opened it and began to read it.

"'March 28th, 2018; I had discovered the dark poison crystal from the bottom of the ocean...'" Vicki read out loud. "'When I found it, it feels as though that the power of the crystal gives me the full potential and surges within me. The reason the crystal chose me is because I possessed the evil blood within my veins...'"

Serena gasped. "Vicki, I think I have realized of whose journal belongs to!"

"It has to be Allen's journal!" Vicki exclaimed. "So, if that's his journal, then that means this house belongs to him!"

"That's right! Perhaps, his journal must be the key to his dark secrets and what's happening in Emblem!"

Vicki nodded. "Then, I'll look every page of his journal until the end!"

About two hours later, Vicki and Serena were very devastated after what they learned from Allen's journal. Vicki slowly dropped the journal, bent down on her knees, and placed her hands on the floor. Serena sat down on the floor and looked up at the ceiling.

"N-Not only Allen's secrets were getting darker, but they're very bone-chilling as well..." Vicki trembled.

"Y-Yeah, I-I was told that Neon hates sweets..." said Serena. "But Allen mixed up the dark poison crystal dust and the sugar combined and put them into the ashes. When he poured them into the fire pit, Neon was getting weakened. That's why his powers were getting weaker every time."

"That reminds me of Robert...He was being used by Charlene, one of Allen's retainers, who gave him a dose of Allen's potion so he would lose his strength and lost his control."

"Don't mention it...But anyways, Allen's journal will be the key of our main clue! You must take it with you and find some other clues if possible!"

"You got it!"

Meanwhile in StarLily, Robert, Nick, and Darren were at the dining room. They drank some water while they were talking about Vicki's quest. Until suddenly, Sammy and Jimmy were walking by and starting to push Nick and Darren from their chairs. They sat down and glared at Robert who was getting annoyed at the moment.

"Hey Goldilocks, where's your girlfriend?" Sammy asked.

"Correction, Sammy, it's Goldstein..." Robert sighed, rolling his eyes. "And why do you guys want to know? That really doesn't concern to both of you!"

"Yeah, right..." said Jimmy sarcastically.

While Sammy and Jimmy were talking to Robert, Nick and Darren were sneaking up under the chairs and starting to tie the twins' shoes with the shoelaces altogether. They chuckled very lightly and quietly without the Slapjacks noticing them below. As soon as Sammy and Jimmy were done talking and insulting Robert, they stood up and quickly fell down to the floor. When they noticed that their shoes were tied together, the three boys were laughing at them out loud.

"Whoever came up with the prank like this, it's not funny at all!" Sammy argued.

"Yeah, you're going to pay for that!" Jimmy exclaimed.

Inside of Allen's house, Vicki and Serena were still searching for other clues, besides Allen's journal. Vicki found some pictures and newspapers in one of the rooms. She examined each picture, especially the ones with Robert and Charlene, who was in disguise as a normal human, together which made her more annoying and irritating. So, Vicki took some pictures and newspapers as the second clue. She and Serena went to the different room and found some SD cards in the plastic case. She used her star compact to change it into the laptop. Serena took one of the SD cards and inserted into the SD card slot. Vicki clicked on the SD card drive and found some videos in the file. She clicked on one of the videos and began to watch.

"'Day one of Allen's evil plan...'" It was Mastermind Clown who recorded the video one year before his death.

"Ugh, his introduction is so boring!" Vicki complained.

"Why not skip it instead?" Serena asked.

"Oh, sounds like a good idea to me!" Vicki clicked on the fast-forward button until she reached to the interesting part of the video.

Meanwhile at the gym, Robert was doing some pull-ups until he was exhausted. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash that was coming from outside. He checked it out to see of what's going on. He immediately saw Steel Man and Buster starting to attack Main Street while everyone was screaming and running away from them. Robert quickly went to the emergency exit and began his transformation.

Steel Man, Buster, and their henchmen along with the red-brown pig named Rasher were ruining Main Street. Buster gave the pig the sonic blaster to destroy the buildings. Until someone threw a hat on him and made him dropped the blaster, everyone looked around to see of where the hat was coming from.

"Hey evildoers, Main Street is not a place for you to destroy!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed. "Just let it alone be in peace!"

"Oh great, guess who's talking..." said Steel Man sarcastically. "If it isn't the wimpy hero, Masked Swordmaster…"

"Say, tough guy, where's your girlfriend?" Buster asked.

"Huh? Oh, if you're talking about Phantom Angel, then I cannot say of where she is right now..." Masked Swordmaster replied in hesitation. "But that's not important! What's more important right now is to stop you two!"

"Fine, our henchmen will stop you so easily," Steel Man grinned. "Henchmen, give this swordsman some thrashing now!"

Masked Swordmaster was fighting off against the henchmen, and it didn't take him for a very long time to beat them. Buster took out his club and began charging right through the white knight. He quickly dodged his attack and the heavy-armored knight got slammed onto the wall. Steel Man took out his chainsticks, started to spin it, and ready to attack the swordsman. Masked Swordmaster quickly avoided it and the muscle bully got crashed into the trash can.

"Is that the best you can do?" Masked Swordmaster laughed.

Buster and Steel Man growled as they began to charge right through Masked Swordmaster together. As soon as the white knight jumped high enough, two guys got crashed into each other and collapsed to the ground. Masked Swordmaster landed on the bad guys and then leapt onto the ground. He took out his crystalized sword and launched his ultimate attack on them. After they were banished, Rasher was returned back to normal.

Back at the ruined town, Vicki and Serena took the SD cards after they watched the whole video clips. They continued to investigate some more clues until they couldn't find anything at all. They finally got everything from Allen's house and immediately transported back to StarLily.

When Vicki and Serena had arrived back in StarLily, it was nighttime and Vicki's disguise was changed back to her normal clothes. Nick and Serenity were very glad to see them back.

"Sis, where were you this whole time?" Nick asked. "We were so worried, even Robert was worried sick about you!"

"Sorry about that, bro!" said Vicki. "It's just that Serena and I were investigating Emblem to look for clues!"

"That's right, we found some in the bag!" said Serena, as she was pointing at Vicki's bag.

"That's great!" said Serenity. "Let's check them out, shall we?"

Before everyone was heading to Vicki's house, Robert stepped out of the tree and Neon was right beside him. Neither Vicki nor Serena had anything to say to their counterparts. Nick and Serenity just stared at each other and then shrugged.

"So, that's was your quest, right?" said Robert, looking disappointed. "Vicki, why didn't you ask me to come along with you?"

"Robert, the dark poison crystal may have weakened you, but it doesn't affect me somehow..." Vicki explained. "That's why I don't want you or Neon getting strained by that thing."

"Maybe so...But what would happened if Allen caught you investigating the clues while you're in Emblem?"

"Allen wasn't there, he's still in the ship somewhere. Probably, lost at the sea I guess? Look, Serena and I bought some time to look for clues inside of his house!"

"Wait, y-you two went into his house?!" said Neon shockingly. "I-Is that true, Serena?"

"Yes, it is true, Neon," Serena replied. "I didn't sense any traps anywhere of his house, which it is a good thing!"

"Yeah, another good thing is you already found some clues about Allen's dark secrets, right?" said Robert.

"That's right!" said Vicki. "So Robert, do you want to see them for yourself right now? We're about to check them out!"

"Actually, I'll check them out by tomorrow. But now, it's really getting late..."

Robert and Neon were heading to the hotel to get some rest. Vicki, Nick, Serenity, and Serena were heading to the Silverwings' house to check out the stuff that Vicki found from Allen's house. She was very curious about how Robert was going to react when she revealed Allen's dark secrets to him.


	29. Allen's Dark Secrets Revealed

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 28: Allen's Dark Secrets Revealed

Allen and his last two remaining retainers were sailing back to Emblem. As soon as they arrived, they were heading to Allen's house for a break. While they were walking, Charlene noticed something around the dark poison crystal. She went to take a closer look at it and wasn't so sure whether it's always there or not.

"That's odd, is it always there?" Charlene asked to herself, before she went back to Allen and Lewis.

Allen, Charlene, and Lewis had entered the house and went to their rooms. Allen went up to his own room and was about to look for something. He was checking his cabinet, dresser, and closet anywhere, but he couldn't find of what he was looking for. He started to slam his desk with his fist and was getting frustrated.

"I don't believe this!" Allen shouted. "They somehow had it! My journal was taken my those weaklings!"

"Master Allen, we have some disturbing news!" Lewis exclaimed. "Someone stole Mastermind Clown's SD cards, and there were video clips of our evil plans in each of them!"

"They even took Blade's pictures while she was in the shadows and some newspapers!" Charlene exclaimed. "She was working so hard on them before she died!"

"Unbelievable! It's time to teach Goldstein a lesson for stealing our secret plans!" Allen growled.

The next day, Robert was alone and stopped by at Vicki's house. He knocked on the door and Vicki answered right away. She let him in since she was also alone as well. They went to the living room together and the clues, Vicki found, were spreading on the table. He was very astonished when he saw each and every clue on the table.

"So, where do we start?" Robert asked curiously.

"Let's start with the dark poison crystal Allen found from the first place!" Vicki answered, as she showed the picture of the crystal, she took from the museum before it was stolen by Lewis, on her smartphone to Robert.

Vicki began to read the first page of Allen's journal out loud to Robert. This page revealed to them that Allen possessed an evil blood because the dark poison crystal chose him and gave him the greater, darker power to awaken his ego. He began to summon his retainers and his henchmen to serve his purpose. He mainly focused on Robert to be his target because he possessed the heroic blood and became the hero, Masked Swordmaster.

After that, Vicki showed one of the pictures, she found from one of Allen's rooms, to Robert. She showed him the picture of him, as Masked Swordmaster, and Charlene together when he saved her and had a crush on her in the first place. This made Robert feel uncomfortable and speechless that he tried to explain it to her.

"T-That's not how it looks, Vicki..." Robert stammered, shaking his head. "I-I mean, that's not what you think!"

"Oh, really now?" Vicki smirked. "Then, let one of the video clips do the explaining for you!"

Vicki clicked on one of the video clips from the SD card and showed it to Robert. The video started off with Mastermind Clown did the introduction, which she decided to skip that part. Then, the scene was showing that Masked Swordmaster saved Charlene, who disguised as a normal person, from falling off the cliff. This made Robert feel very anxious as he rubbed his mouth and chin. When the scene was showing that Masked Swordmaster was gone, Charlene turned to Mastermind Clown who was holding the camera.

"'Hey Clown, it's time for us to go!'" said Charlene quietly, while she was looking around the surroundings. "'Our work here is done, let's go see Allen right away!'"

"Okay, what kind of work is she talking about?" Robert asked curiously.

"Let's watch the next clip to find out," Vicki replied, as she clicked on the next video.

The video showed where Charlene was meeting up with Allen and Lewis. She immediately slapped the spy navigator's face and blamed him for almost killing her from the cliff. Even it was part of Allen's plan, Lewis apologized and told her that he didn't mean to literally. The witch princess jumped over him and kept on slugging him, but Allen quickly broke up the fight between them.

"'Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, you two!'" said Allen. "'No need to be so rash about it. Phase one is already done; now let's move on to phase two, shall we?'"

"I wonder what phase two was like if 'saving' Charlene was phase one..." said Robert curiously.

Vicki was looking up at Allen's journal and started to explain it to Robert. According to one of the pages, this revealed that Allen was creating the formula that could weaken Robert and lost his mind. When he was done, he gave the formula to Charlene so she could pour it into one of the cups and let him drink it before the speech.

"S-Speech...why is that topic rings a bell all of the sudden?" Vicki asked.

"Oh, I think I remember this now," said Robert. "Vicki, didn't I already explain it to you when I ended up not feeling well?"

"Oh yes, I remember that you already told me about this!" Vicki quickly searched one of the newspapers from Emblem and showed it to Robert. "Ah, here it is! 'Emblem's Hero Began His Speech Before He Collapsed!'"

Robert frowned. "Not the great headline I was expecting..."

"Um...anyways, let's watch the video clip, shall we?"

The video was showing of how Allen was creating the formula. He started to measure up the concoctions and added into the tube. Then, he put the tiny shard of the dark poison crystal into the mixture. The black smoke appeared and it was shaped like a skull in a loud poof before he sealed the tube.

"'Finally, the formula is complete!'" said Allen. "'Once Robert will take this formula, it's time to say goodbye to his happy days and popularity! Ha ha ha!'"

"Such a bastard he was!" Robert growled, as he hit his palm with his fist. "No wonder my life, in Emblem, was turning upside down for a moment!"

"Yeah...but can we move on to the next subject?" Vicki asked softly.

"And what could that be?"

Vicki was looking for a certain picture from the pile until she found one. She showed the picture of Allen holding Lorelei, who was uncomfortable, to Robert which made him sick. Then, she read Allen's journal, and he put down that he was very furious of Lorelei being so close to Darren all the time since he moved to Emblem.

"Oh yeah, that sounds very harsh alright!" said Robert.

"Tell me about it!" said Vicki. "But here's a video clip for you to see."

The video was showing that Lorelei was held at Allen's living room. Allen took her hand while she was struggling a bit.

"'Say, Lorelei, what if I offer you a deal?'" Allen asked politely.

"'W-What kind of deal?'" Lorelei asked anxiously.

"'Well, here's a deal...If you will be my girlfriend, then I will spare your brother and his best friend's lives. What do you say?'"

"'I...I...I, um...O-Okay, you win! Just spare them and leave them alone already!'"

"'Such a wise choice, my dear!'"

After Lorelei was being dragged by Charlene, Allen called Lewis and Flare to come over. When she was out of sight, he gathered up his two retainers and said, "'You two, I want those two uninvited, party crashers out of the town! Do you understand?'"

"'Yes, master!'" said Flare. "'We'll make sure that they will be out of your sight forever!'"

"'And the catapult was ready for them to get launched!'" said Lewis.

"I can't believe Allen made Lorelei to be his lover!" said Robert angrily. "And the deal, he offered her, was nothing but a lie!"

"Exactly, he was planning to kill you and Darren so he wanted to be with Lorelei for the rest of his life!" Vicki exclaimed.

Vicki started to turn the page and found something very terrifying. According to Allen's journal, he planted the dark poison crystal underneath the town tree. He also set up the timer to one hundred twenty hours. Robert was very shock to hear about this. So, Vicki clicked on one of the video clips and both of them were starting to watch it.

The video was showing of how Allen planted the dark poison crystal in the first place. Steel Man and Buster were digging the ground until they reached to the right point. The dark knight placed the crystal and the timer underneath the town tree. His two strong retainers quickly buried them before they went back to Allen's house.

"Ah, that explains how Emblem got destroyed in the first place!" Robert exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I believe there's more..." said Vicki, as she clicked on the next video clip.

The video was shown that Allen was carrying the bowl of ashes. Plus, he added the sugar and the dust of the dark poison crystal together. As soon as he was done mixing them along with the ashes, he poured them into the fire pit. Suddenly, Neon appeared and began to sneeze and cough at the same time before he collapsed to the ground.

"'Y-You...w-what did you do to me?'" Neon asked weakly.

"'Just to drain out your powers, that's what!'" Allen laughed.

"So, that explains why Neon wasn't strong enough at all!" said Robert shockingly.

"Well, Serena told me that Neon hates sweets," said Vicki. "Is that true?"

Robert sighed heavily. "Yes, it is true..."

"Then, we're finally onto the last part!"

"What last part?"

Vicki opened Allen's journal and found the last few pages that he wrote. According to his journal, the dark poison crystal grew larger and increased its darker power after the timer went off successfully. Everyone, who lived in Emblem and finally escaped, would forget the town and the hero. But to those, who couldn't escape, would become Allen's slaves once the dark poison crystal possessed them. Allen's main goal was to find Robert and kill him this instant. So, he and his retainers along with the animal slaves were setting off to StarLily where the former mayor of Emblem, Lorelei, and Darren were right now.

"Oh no, Allen is only after you because he knows where you are right now!" Vicki exclaimed. "I bet that's why his retainers were invading StarLily in the first place!"

"No doubt anyone didn't seemed to remember Emblem or Masked Swordmaster…" said Robert. "Not even Isabelle would've remember that..."

"Well, the only way to fix that is to restore Emblem back to its good shape!"

"Oh, I don't know if that's possible, Vicki. Even with our pure crystal powers, I still believe it's uncertain."

"Then, we won't know till we try!"

Meanwhile, Sammy and Jimmy just left the museum and went to the hotel to buy some food. Until suddenly, Charlene and Lewis appeared out of nowhere and were standing behind them. The twins immediately turned around and saw two bad people were holding their weapons.

"Why are you two stopped walking?" Charlene asked.

"Just keep on moving, boys!" Lewis grinned. "Otherwise, we're going to hurt you so badly that will make you cry!"

Sammy and Jimmy began to scream and ran into the town instead. They ran into their house to defend themselves from getting harm by the villains. As soon as they closed the door, they locked it up and shut down the windows as well.

When Vicki and Robert heard the twins screaming, they went to check it out for themselves. At first, they heard a loud click that was coming from the Slapjacks' house. Then, they suddenly saw Charlene and Lewis appeared right in front of them.

"Well, well, it looks like we found him!" said Charlene. "But first, we have to get rid of his girlfriend once and for all!"

Charlene launched her dark magic attack at Vicki, but Robert quickly saved her and they both fell into the ocean. The witch princess was so pissed off that she missed her target.

"Wow, Charlene, I can't believe you've missed your target..." said Lewis unenthusiastically.

"Just zip your lip already, will you?" Charlene argued. "Just blast your attack into the ocean! I bet they were in there somewhere!"

Suddenly, the Duo of Justice were out of the water and back on land right away. Charlene and Lewis were very surprised that they somehow managed to survive.

"Oh great, since the red-haired guy is the white knight..." said Lewis unsurprisingly.

"So that means, the green-haired girl is actually..." Charlene gasped. "P-P-Phantom Angel?!"

"Well, you two may already know Masked Swordmaster's secret identity," said Phantom Angel. "And now, you know mine as well!"

"That's right, we're about to end your lives right here and right now!" said Masked Swordmaster.

"Because the Duo of Justice are here to stop you!" said the duo in unison.

"Oh, blah blah blah already!" Charlene complained.

"Are you two done with your dumb speech already?" Lewis asked impatiently. "Because our henchmen will knock you both down right now! Henchmen, get ready for battle!"

The henchmen suddenly appeared and began to surround the Duo of Justice. The dynamic duo had no hesitation and were prepared for battle. So, they fought the henchmen one by one until they were defeated. Charlene started to whistle and the black horse with the glowing red eyes appeared as he was holding the straw with the tranquilizers.

"Roscoe, be a good horse and aim the target at Masked Swordmaster, will you?" Charlene ordered.

"With pleasure, nay!" said Roscoe in obedience, as he was ready to blow out the tranquilizer at Masked Swordmaster.

As soon as the tranquilizer went straight to Masked Swordmaster, Phantom Angel quickly defended him with her mirror reflect. Her mirror blocked the tranquilizer from reaching him, and she crushed it on the ground.

"Don't you even think about harming him!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "I won't let you or anyone else try to kill him!"

"'Try?' Whoever says we're going to try?" Lewis asked. "We're planning to knock him down unconscious and bring him to Allen!"

"That's right, it's his fault that he took Allen's journal and other things in the first place!" Charlene exclaimed.

"What? But I didn't-!" Masked Swordmaster argued.

"Just save your white lies to our master, you masked white knight!" Lewis growled, as he took out the dagger from his pocket. "Besides, Roscoe is the last animal slave that we have right now!"

"Well, we're going to return Roscoe back to his normal self once we will finish both of you off!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, like, you're insane or something," said Charlene. "You two may have depleted our allies, but we're a lot tougher than either of them!"

"Oh, we'll see about that, witchy girl!"

"Grr! Bring it on, angel face!"

Phantom Angel fought against Charlene while Masked Swordmaster faced off against Lewis with all their might. Charlene summoned her dark magic orb attack at Phantom Angel, but the angel bounced it back with her crystal staff. The orb kept on bouncing and bouncing between the girls until Charlene got a direct hit. Lewis threw the multiple bombs at Masked Swordmaster, but the white knight quickly dodged them. He used his crystalized sword to cancel out the bombs and then kicked the spy navigator from behind. Lewis and Charlene threw their attacks at the dynamic duo at the same time. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster immediately glanced and nodded at each other. They quickly avoided their enemies' attacks, and the villains were knocked down by their own allies' attacks. Finally, the Duo of Justice finished them off with their final and ultimate attacks. After Lewis and Charlene were beaten and killed off, Roscoe has returned back to normal and was freed from Allen's control.

"Oh man, I'm very glad that it's over..." said Phantom Angel, sitting on the ground.

"Yeah, we're about to face off Allen sooner or later, and it will be our last task..." said Masked Swordmaster. "With the pure crystal powers by our side, we will stop his evil plan no matter what!"

"Hey, Duo of Justice!" someone shouted, as the dynamic duo turned around to see of who it was.

"Oh hey, it's Lorelei..." said Phantom Angel.

"And the others as well," Masked Swordmaster added.

"We saw the whole thing, you guys are so amazing!" said Nick excitedly.

"Yeah, we don't know how you two did it, but you sure did exterminate them!" said Serenity.

"Well, you guys did say about the pure crystal, right?" said Darren.

"Yes, that's right," said Masked Swordmaster. "It gave our weapons more powerful than before."

"Exactly, the pure crystal changed them into different forms!" said Phantom Angel.

The Duo of Justice showed their newly, upgraded weapons to their siblings and friends. Everyone was so amazed that they had never seen anything so fantastic and powerful before. Lorelei took a picture of their evolved weapons with her smartphone and was very impressed. With Allen's retainers out of the way, the Duo of Justice were ready to face off against him in no time.


	30. From The Dream Into The Nightmare

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 29: From The Dream Into The Nightmare

Allen was now all alone without his reliable retainers and his henchmen, not even a single animal in his control. He stared at the huge dark poison crystal and touched it with his hand. As soon as he looked down, he saw the burning marks on the ground and touched it.

"That's strange, I don't remember seeing this..." said Allen. "Did Robert somehow put the bombs around it? No, that's impossible! I bet he sent someone else to do it for him...It's either Lorelei or Darren, one of those two for sure!"

Suddenly, the dark poison crystal began to glow and showed the hologram to Allen. It was the image of StarLily, and then it showed the scene of where Vicki and Robert were hanging out together. The dark knight was very curious to see of what the two were up to. Even though, he didn't know of what they were saying to each other. But on the last part, he immediately saw Vicki kissing Robert before they parted ways. Allen was very disgusted after he saw the whole thing.

"Ugh, there must be some way I can get Robert without any interference!" Allen growled. "But how exactly?"

Later at night, Vicki smiled daintily and drank some tea in the kitchen. Nick glanced at her and started to smirk.

"Well, you seemed pretty happy today, sis," said Nick.

"Am I?" Vicki grinned.

"Yeah, you've been very cheerful right now ever since Robert came here."

"Why, of course. He's the lucky guy that I have now, and he will always be there with me no matter what!"

"Do you love him?"

"Yes, as always! Just like you love Serenity!"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I know, sis...I'm always be there with Serenity, just like you're always be there with Robert."

"Well if anything happens to us, we will always do this together no matter what!"

At the hotel, Robert took one bite from the snacks bowl and drank some water. He's been thinking a lot lately and started to grin. Until Lorelei came out of her bedroom, she sat on the couch and glanced at her brother.

"You looked happy today, big brother," said Lorelei. "What's going on in your mind?"

"Oh Lorelei, you see, I've been thinking about Vicki lately," said Robert.

"Oh really? You two seemed to be very close now. I remembered the time when we first arrived in StarLily, you were glancing at her for the first time and seemed to be very fond of her."

"Yeah, it's not just because we're allies, but it's because we have a lot of common these days."

"That's really true alright. The bond between you and her is unbreakable, I just knew it!"

Robert chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that, little sis! Just like you and Darren, Vicki and I are now destined to be each other! I can feel it!"

Meanwhile at the ruined town, Allen was focusing on the dark poison crystal while it was activating. He suddenly saw a hologram that he wasn't aware of. He gave a sinister grin and chuckled evilly as he finally found the solution.

In the middle of the night of StarLily, Vicki started to have a dream that she and Robert, in their heroic versions, were meeting up together. They saw the pure crystal was glowing brightly and floating on top of the lake. Then, they glanced at each other and were very concerned about something.

"Phantom Angel, there is something that troubles me..." said Masked Swordmaster softly. "When Charlene and Lewis were trespassing StarLily, they mentioned about the evidence of Allen's secret plans that they thought I stole from him. But they never realized that it was you who took them."

"I know, but at least you didn't tell them..." said Phantom Angel.

"Yeah, I'm already aware of that. It's not like I'm going to say anything to them, not even Allen!"

"Exactly, but they also said that Roscoe was the last animal slave they had until I cured him."

"Ah, that's right! So, that means we're done curing all the animal villagers back to their normal selves!"

"Yes, it's all thanks to the power of the light pure crystal!"

"I agree!"

Suddenly, someone began to cackle which made the Duo of Justice startled and said, "I hate to interrupt between the both of you, but it's time for me to make my entrance!"

Phantom Angel gasped. "Allen! What on earth are you doing here?!"

"And how did you get in here?!" Masked Swordmaster asked angrily.

"Let's just say thanks to my dark poison crystal, I can manage to enter your dreams," Allen explained, as he was looking around the point of view. "And I can tell that one of you has a lively dream."

"Oh, I'm already done dealing with one dream trespasser, but two...really now?" Phantom Angel complained.

"Just save your complaints already, angel girl, because I'm not done talking just yet! You know something? Speaking of trespassing, I realized that one of you entered my house and stole my journal! And guess who's to blame?"

Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster glanced at each other very quickly and then looked back at Allen. Before the dark knight could say anything else, he suddenly saw the pure crystal floating right behind the dynamic duo. He took out his spear and was ready to destroy it.

"On second thought, I'm going to break that crystal of yours to teach one of you a lesson for stealing my journal!" Allen shouted angrily.

"NO!" the Duo of Justice yelled in panic.

Allen's spear almost touched the pure crystal, but it suddenly blocked his attack and bounced him away from it. The Duo of Justice were surprised that they had no idea of what just happened. Allen stood up on his feet and glared at the crystal before he gave the dynamic duo a mean look.

"Some crystal you've got there..." said Allen, clenching his teeth. "But at least you two are still defenseless!"

"Angelic musical vibration!" Phantom Angel shouted, as she launched her attack on Allen. But he quickly repelled it with his spear.

"Pure sword earthquake!" Masked Swordmaster shouted, as he pointed his sword on the ground and the crack was starting to reach Allen's feet. The dark knight quickly avoided it and landed on the solid ground. "What? No way!"

Allen chuckled. "Is that the best you can do?"

Allen started to charge right through the Duo of Justice with his spear, but they quickly avoided his attack. Phantom Angel wanted to protect Masked Swordmaster from his nemesis, but the white knight disagreed with her and wanted to protect her instead.

"Masked Swordmaster, listen to me!" said Phantom Angel. "Allen is only targeting you, no one else! Not even me! That's what he said in his journal!"

"But he doesn't even know that you took it!" said Masked Swordmaster quietly.

"Aha! It was you who really took my journal, Silverwing!" said Allen. "Girl, you should know that you shouldn't have involved in the situation like this! Don't try to poke your nose into someone's information!"

"Just leave her out of this, Allen!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed. "The reason she was doing this is because she was looking for answers to her questions about Emblem's past!"

"Oh, is that so? Well, if that's the case, then...I will immobilize you!"

Allen summoned his dark magic chain and it went straight to the Duo of Justice. Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster embraced each other while they were watching out his attack. The white knight slowly grabbed the angel's arms and quickly pushed her aside. When Phantom Angel fell onto the ground, she sat up and immediately saw something very frightened. She found her ally got tied up and started to struggle a lot. She tried to loosen the chains from him, but they were too hard and too strong to lose.

"Allen, let him go right now!" Phantom Angel shouted.

"Not a chance, novice!" said Allen, as he pulled the chain and quickly took Masked Swordmaster away.

Phantom Angel tried to hold on to Masked Swordmaster as she could with all her might. She enlarged her wings and started to fly with full force in order to pull him back. But Allen's force was too strong that she couldn't even stop his tracks.

"Phantom Angel, just forget about me and save yourself!" Masked Swordmaster shouted.

"No, I won't let Allen take you away!" Phantom Angel shouted, shaking her head. "Why do you have to sacrifice your own life for mine?"

"Only one of us will still be standing, and you should be the one! That's why I chose to risk my own life for yours!"

"But what can I possibly do without you? What will I do next?"

Allen yawned and looked at his watch very quickly to see what time it was right now. He interrupted the conversation between the dynamic duo and said, "Alright, time is up for both of you. Hands off, you second-rate hero!"

Allen launched his attack at Phantom Angel and made her let go of Masked Swordmaster. He was pulled in by his nemesis and was trapped inside of the black magic orb. The angel quickly rushed to her ally and tried to set him free. She called out his name and kept banging on the orb, but he didn't respond because he was suddenly out cold. Allen shoved Phantom Angel aside so he and Masked Swordmaster disappeared from the dream and were nowhere in sight.

Vicki was awake from her unexpecting dream and found herself lying on the floor. She looked at the clock to see what time it was and realized it was morning. Suddenly, she heard her smartphone ringing, so she checked her phone and received a text message from Lorelei.

"'Come to our hotel room whenever you have the time...'" Vicki read the message, as she decided that she was on her way to the hotel.

Vicki, Nick, and Serenity had arrived in the hotel and stopped by at Robert's hotel room. Vicki knocked on the door and Lorelei answered as her eyes were frightened as a kitten. Darren was very anxious that he bit his thumbnail and was very speechless for a moment.

"Lorelei, Darren, what's going on?" Vicki asked. "And where's Robert?"

"Vicki, I-um, well, you see..." Lorelei stammered in fear.

"T-That's what we're about to tell you, b-but-," Darren trembled.

"But what?" Nick asked curiously.

"Well, w-we thought that he was sick which it was the main reason he didn't come out of his room..."

"S-So, I knocked on his bedroom door many times..." Lorelei explained, as her hands were shaking. "A-As soon as I slowly opened the door, he...he..."

"Y-Yes, what happened next, Lorelei?" Serenity asked.

"A-A-After I opened the door, Robert...he-he-he...!"

"Just say it, Lorelei!" said Vicki impatiently. "Just tell me exactly what happened to Robert!"

Before Lorelei could answer, Neon suddenly appeared and told Vicki that Robert has somehow disappeared. She immediately rushed to his bedroom in a very high alert. She found that his bed was not made, the windows were closed, the closet was opened for just a bit, and his smartphone was untouched. Robert was not in his bedroom and nobody had any ideas of where he was or what happened to him.

"Where is he?" Vicki asked.

"We don't know..." Lorelei answered.

"I even tried to communicate him through his mind," said Neon, "but it's somehow blocked our communication. Wherever he is right now, someone must've held him in hostage and don't want us to know their exact location..."

While everyone was so desperate about Robert's whereabouts, Vicki noticed something on his bed. She picked it up and it was the SD card that looked exactly like Mastermind Clown's. She borrowed Lorelei's laptop and inserted the SD card, but all she found in the card's file was only one video. She started to click on it and the video was beginning to play while everyone gathered around to see it for themselves. The video began where Allen was sitting on his chair inside of his house.

"'Salutations, Silverwing, if you're watching this of course...'" said Allen calmly. "'But I DO have a feeling that you ARE watching this, which means you already found out about Robert's disappearance...'"

"Grr, so he's responsible of all this!" Nick exclaimed, as he punched his palm with his fist.

"Lower your voice, Nick, we can't hear of what Allen is saying..." Serenity whispered, as she elbowed her boyfriend for silence.

"Allen, you'd better show me if Robert's okay or where he is right now!" said Vicki angrily.

"'Well, if you're very curious of where Robert is right now or how he's holding up...'" Allen explained, as he snapped his fingers and the orb was getting lower while someone was inside of it. "'Your knight in shining armor is unconscious for a moment, and I kept an eye on him after I took him away from your dreams!'"

Vicki was shocked that Masked Swordmaster was held in hostage at Allen's place. She realized that it wasn't a dream after all, it was real! Everyone was also shocked after what they saw and heard from Allen's video that the white knight became the dark knight's prisoner.

"Ugh, no...why can't it be me?" Vicki asked quietly, as her hands were curled up into fists. "I mean, I'm the one who took Allen's journal and other stuff from his house! If he could've captured me and not Robert, I would've risk my life to save him and Robert should be the one who was still standing!"

Lorelei gasped. "Vicki, you can't be serious! We all know that it wasn't your fault! What's going to happen to you if Allen was planning to capture you?"

"'Unless, there is only one condition though...'" Allen grinned slyly. "'If you choose to turn yourself in, Silverwing, then I will spare Goldstein's life as a promise. You will only have twelve hours left to make a decision. I will see you at nighttime for your answer. Good day!'"

As soon as the video ended, Vicki removed the SD card from the laptop. She dropped it on the floor and crushed it with her one foot. She has to make a choice whether she turned herself in or Robert's life would be in peril. No one else had anything to say in their rightful minds, but to falter about Allen's bone-chilling video.


	31. Duo In Desperation

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 30: Duo In Desperation

In the afternoon, Vicki was getting worried about Robert since Allen captured him in her dream. When she saw the dark knight's video, it made her shudder to think about the decision he gave her whether it's her life or Robert's. She only had twelve hours to make a choice before she has to face Allen alone. Suddenly, someone came behind her and put the paw on her shoulder. Vicki immediately turned around and saw Katrina whose eyes were worried, but started to sparkle.

"Come to my shop, there's something I must give you," said Katrina patiently.

"Oh, um, okay..." said Vicki, as she was following Katrina to the fortune-teller's shop right away.

After Katrina gave something useful to Vicki, the mayor sat down at the town tree and started to think about Robert. Serena and Neon suddenly appeared and looked up to Vicki who seemed to be very sad. The dog guardian came up to her and hugged her arm for comfort. The dragon guardian climbed up to her shoulder to accompany her.

"Oh hey guys..." said Vicki quietly.

"Hey Vicki, Neon told me about what happened to Robert..." said Serena.

"That's right," Neon agreed. "Before Robert disappeared in reality, we just saw the whole thing...in your dreams."

"Wait, what?" Vicki asked. "H-How so?"

"Well, you see...we were watching your dreams from the fountain this whole time," Serena explained, as she was pointing at the fountain.

"H-How was that possible? If you guys saw it, then why didn't you com and help us when we were under attack by Allen?"

"About that situation, there was a slight problem..." Neon replied. "When Allen invaded your dreams, he quickly used his power to block us from entering."

"Oh, no way..." Vicki immediately stood up and the guardians quickly moved away. "I only have few hours left before meeting up with Allen at night. So, I still have time to make my own decision. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the Roost to get some coffee!"

As soon as Vicki left the town plaza, Serena and Neon were staring at each other dumbfounded. Although, they were so worried about what choice Vicki had to make, but all they had to do now was to wait and see.

Inside of the Roost, Vicki was staring at the coffee that Brewster made for her. She couldn't help, but to sigh no matter how much she missed Robert. She used to sit next to him, and they both enjoyed their coffee together. Suddenly, Nick and Serenity stopped by and saw Vicki at the table. So, they decided to join her and had a chat with her for just a little while.

"Hey Vicki!" said Nick and Serenity in unison.

"Oh hey guys, what's up?" Vicki asked.

"Oh, we were just checking on you, sis," Nick replied. "I know it's been tough since Robert was captured by Allen."

"Yeah, I just don't know what to do..."

"We know exactly how you feel, Vicki," said Serenity softly.

All of the sudden, Sammy and Jimmy entered the Roost and spotted Vicki and the others at the table. So, they went to their table to interrupt their conversation.

"What's up, geek squad?" Sammy asked. "Hey Silverwing, where's your lover boy?"

"Yeah, where is he?" Jimmy asked. "Uh, what's his name again? Gold...something? Oh yeah, Goldenbridge, correct?"

Vicki sighed heavily. "I'm pretty sure Robert already told you many times that his last name is Goldstein."

"But anyways, why so glum, Mayor V?" Sammy asked.

"Um, why do you two want to know?"

"Let me guess..." said Jimmy. "It's about Robert Schmobert, is it? Did you two have a hard time together?"

"Uh guys, I don't think my sister wants to discuss this with you two," said Nick.

"Hey, nobody asked you, Nicky-boy!" Sammy argued.

"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed.

While the boys were arguing at each other, Vicki quietly snuck away from the group and left the Roost right away. Serenity didn't have anything to say, but to keep quiet about it to herself. All of the sudden, Lorelei and Darren entered the Roost and found the argument between Nick and the Slapjack twins. Then, they glanced at Serenity who sighed and shrugged at them, but refused to tell them of what's going on.

In the evening, Vicki was staring at the golden rose that Robert gave her when they were in their heroic versions back at Club LOL. She smelled the beautiful rose and kissed it, which it reminded her of him. She looked through the window and saw the airplane flying in the sky.

"Oh wow, I wish I would take the airplane to travel the world or the island, perhaps..." said Vicki softly. "If only Robert was thinking the same thing as I am right now, we would've traveled together, and I believe it will be great!"

Vicki put the golden rose on her desk and started to lie down on her bed. She looked up at the ceiling and started to think very carefully. Her choice was to either to turn herself in or Masked Swordmaster would die. She never wanted him to die because he didn't deserve it. So instead, her choice was to turn herself in to Allen, which it was the only way to save Robert's life, and her mind was finally made up already. Suddenly, the guardians appeared inside of Vicki's room, and she was very surprised to see them.

"Serena, Neon, you're here!" said Vicki surprisingly.

"Hey Vicki, did you already make your decision?" Neon asked. "If you have, we're all ears right now."

"That's right, you'll only have five hours left," said Serena, reminding Vicki about the time. "So, let us hear your choice..."

"Okay, I've already made my choice, and here it is..." said Vicki, as she revealed her decision to Serena and Neon.

Five minutes later, the guardians were very shock to hear about Vicki's choice and shouted, "EXCUSE ME?! WHAT?!"

"Well, you guys heard me..." said Vicki, covering her ears with her pillow. "I've decided to turn myself in to Allen..."

"Can't you at least come up with the plan or something first?" Serena asked.

"She's right, you will need a plan right now before meeting up with Allen," said Neon.

"I already have one in my head, guys," said Vicki. "Besides, I'm not going to let Robert die no matter what happens to him!"

"We already know that, Vicki, but..." Serena faltered.

"I'll be fine, Serena. There's no need to worry about me."

While Vicki was still talking to the guardians, neither of them noticed that Nick was standing behind the bedroom door and listening to the whole thing. He was a bit disappointed that his sister chose to take a risk in order to save Robert's life. He quietly went to his bedroom and made a heavy sigh.

Few hours later, Phantom Angel was all alone in the middle of the night. She was waiting for Allen to show up at anytime and anywhere. Everyone, in town, fell asleep in their homes and StarLily became very quiet during the night. Serena and Neon appeared out of nowhere and told her that every human and animal were in a deep sleep. That was until they heard someone's footsteps, and they were approaching to their direction.

"Huh? Nick...and the others?!" said Phantom Angel surprisingly. "W-What are you all doing here?! I thought you guys were asleep already! You shouldn't be here in the time like this!"

"But we just wanted to see you before you go," said Lorelei anxiously. "Even if Allen was trying to spare Robert's life, just don't risk your own life please..."

"She's right, it's got to be a trick," said Darren. "Whether you may know it or not..."

"We already know that Robert is more important to you," said Serenity, "but you two are more important to us than anything in the world! That's why we could hardly sleep..."

"Sister, may I ask you something?" Nick asked. "Is Robert's life means a lot to you than your own?"

"For my sake, yes..." Phantom Angel replied, as Nick broke into silence and felt very disappointed. She sighed heavily after she saw him acting this way. "But do you remember the time when you risked your life to save Serenity from Nightmare Mime and Professor Joe?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I do..."

"Then, I will do the same thing for Robert!"

Suddenly, Allen appeared from his portal and Phantom Angel told everyone to leave for their safety. As soon as everyone left, she and the guardians were ready to confront him. Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were watching them from behind the building.

"Hello Vicki, have you been waiting for me that long?" Allen asked.

"Where's Masked Swordmaster?" Phantom Angel asked, ignoring Allen's question. "Where is he? Just show him to me!"

Allen sighed. "Fine, have it your way."

Allen clapped his hands as the dark magic orb appeared with Masked Swordmaster inside of it. As soon as it disappeared, he stood up on his feet, but he suddenly collapsed to the ground. The angel gasped with her eyes wide-opened as she quickly rushed to the injured white knight.

"Oh no, Masked Swordmaster!" Phantom Angel cried, as she was starting to shake her ally. "Are you alright? Say something! Anything!"

"Oh, please no..." said Serena quietly, as her eyes were full of sorrow.

"I-It can't be..." said Neon softly.

There was no response from Masked Swordmaster somehow when he was still unconscious. Until Phantom Angel found something on the side of his stomach, she spotted the dark poison crystal which was stuck to his side. She also saw the blood that was slowly dripping from his side and got stained on his shirt. She feared this would happen that she began to cry and scream in agony.

"Allen, you...you murdering madman!" Phantom Angel cried. "Y-You promised me that you would spare his life for mine! But instead, you killed him right away!"

Lorelei fell down on her knees and started to cry in agony. She wailed so loud because her brother was killed by their own childhood friend. Everyone hugged her for comfort, including Darren who wouldn't forgive Allen for killing his best friend.

Phantom Angel moved her face closer to Masked Swordmaster's face, her nose touched his nose, and gave him a kiss on the lips. Her tear fell from her eye and dropped onto his cheek. Serena and Neon were despaired about this that they began to embrace each other. The sorrow wouldn't last until Allen dragged Phantom Angel away from Masked Swordmaster. She was struggling to get his hands off of her and wanted to stay by her ally's side.

"Stop with your hassling already, you fool!" Allen exclaimed. "You already made your choice, am I right?"

"If I would've known better, then you could've taken me from our dreams, not him!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "Besides, I'm the one who took your journal and other things from the start!"

"Then, you shouldn't have done that before you will get yourself involved with all this! So, let's go...You and me!"

Nick was very furious that Allen grabbed Phantom Angel by her arm very tightly. He wanted to jump out, run to him, and punch his face so badly. But instead, his friends stopped him by holding him when he was in rage.

"Guys, let go of me now!" Nick yelled. "I want to punch this maniac's face for what he did to my friend; and now he forced my sister to turn herself in!"

"But dude, Allen's going to toss you like a ball!" Darren exclaimed. "Just like he did to me once when I tried to save Lorelei!"

"What? Seriously, man?!"

Serena and Neon were very angry at Allen that they were starting to attack him with their own powers, but he blocked their attacks with his spear before he and Phantom Angel disappeared. The guardians and the four humans rushed to check on Masked Swordmaster who was unconscious the whole time. Lorelei was very sad that her older brother was injured and bruised so badly.

"B-Big brother..." Lorelei cried, as she hugged Masked Swordmaster in grief. "Y-You can't die...not like this!"

"There must be some way we can save him!" said Nick.

"But how exactly, Nick?" Serenity asked.

"Just leave everything to me..." said the calm voice, as everyone turned around to see of who it was. It was none other than Katrina whose eyes were sad, but glimmered.

"Katrina?" said everyone in surprise.

"So, you can possibly help him somehow?" Neon asked curiously.

"Yes, there is a chance that I will help him. Just bring him to my shop right away..."

"Right!" said Serena and Neon in unison. They started to teleport Masked Swordmaster to the fortune-teller's shop right away.

It's been over a day since Phantom Angel turned herself in to Allen after he let Masked Swordmaster go and killed him. Robert slowly opened his eyes from blur to clear sight while he was moaning. He found himself lying on the bed inside of the fortune-teller's shop. He tried to get up, but he felt the sharp pain from the side of his stomach. He suddenly noticed that the shard was removed from his side and the bandage was wrapped around his stomach. All of the sudden, he smelled something very horrible as he saw Katrina making a potion where the smell was coming from. After she was done mixing the potion, she approached to Robert and was ready to give him the potion. But the scent of it was disturbing his nose, and he made a disgusted face when he looked at it.

"Uh...if you're planning to give it to me, then I'm going to have to pa-AAHH!" Robert shrieked, as Katrina poked him with the acupuncture needle on his left shoulder and made him drink the potion before she removed the needle. He started to cough a few times after he drank it. "Ugh! What kind of stuff did you put in that potion?!"

"Just only the medicinal herbs and one dried Jacob's ladder that will make you feel better and stronger," Katrina replied. "Besides, if Vicki hadn't saved your life, then you would've been dead by now..."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Katrina's eyes began to sparkle and explained everything to Robert. "Well, you see...I predicted Vicki would choose to sacrifice her life for yours. So, I gave her the item that would save your life. The item is called the miracle lipstick, the color matches her lip color she applied before in her heroic version. I told her to apply it right away before confronting your enemy."

"What does the miracle lipstick do after Vicki applies it?"

"I'm getting to that part right now. As soon as I had a bad feeling you got killed by your nemesis, she kissed you right away before she was taken away... After the kiss, the miracle lipstick took effect on you. So, you should be awakened after one day in the morning, which it is now."

"Oh, and here I thought I was dead..."

"No, you're still alive though...Thanks to the miracle lipstick's effectiveness that I made, it finally saved your life."

"You mean it saved Vicki, and she saved my life..."

Robert got up from the bed right away, and he didn't feel the pain after all. It was all thanks to Katrina's potion, she made for him, he was able to move and felt much stronger now. But Katrina told him to wait, and there's something he must do before he planned to save Vicki. Serena and Neon brought the box to her, and she gave it to Robert. She told him to open it and so he did; inside of the box was the dark poison crystal that was attached to him before. This time, it has no effect on him whatsoever.

"The results are now positive," said Katrina. "I just mixed a couple of potions and tested out your guardian, but they all seemed so negative...Until I mixed the right potion, it looks as though the dark poison crystal has no stand a chance against you. So, this means you will be fine for now."

"Thank you, Katrina," said Robert. "Since I've got my energy back, I'm ready to save Vicki from Allen!"

"And we're coming with you!" said Neon in triumph.

"That's right, I will use my teleportation powers to take us to Emblem, Robert," said Serena. "That way, you will rescue Vicki no matter what!"

"Thank you, guys, I'd really appreciate it!" said Robert happily.

Robert was determined that he would save Vicki from Allen with the guardians' help. He would no longer hold back whenever he saw the dark poison crystal, thanks to Katrina's potion he took from her. He was now prepared to face Allen one last time back in Emblem so he and Vicki would return to StarLily safe and sound.


	32. Allen's Final Showdown

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 31: Allen's Final Showdown

Robert was fully recovered, thanks to Katrina's potion, after he was held in hostage by Allen and was returned, being injured. He saw his companions, including his sister, waiting for his recovery. They were very glad that he was looking good and back in the good shape. So, he deserved a group hug from them, and they were all cheering and laughing happily together.

"Guys, don't tell me you're all waiting for me to get better, are you?" Robert chuckled.

"Well dude, that's your sister's idea though," Nick grinned.

"Yeah, that's true though..." Lorelei chuckled happily. "I told them to come and gather around so we're all waiting for you to get well soon."

"That's right!" said Serenity. "After you've been seriously injured by Allen, Phantom Angel turned herself in for the sake of your life."

"And this must be your chance to save her now, dude!" said Darren.

"Yeah, I'm about to do that right now," said Robert.

"Then, save my sister safely, dude," said Nick. "Just like you saved her multiple times than she saved you!"

"Oh, you bet I will, Nick!"

After Robert transformed into Masked Swordmaster, he was walking to the town plaza with determination. Every animal villager was looking at him while they were doing their business, especially Sammy and Jimmy. They gathered around the town plaza and watched him do something, but the white knight didn't seem to care at all. He looked at Serena who appeared in front of him and nodded as she used her magic to summon the portal. He entered the portal right away and headed straight to Emblem. As soon as the portal disappeared, the animals and the Slapjack brothers had no idea of where he's going. Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren had their fingers crossed and were hoping that the Duo of Justice would return home very soon.

Meanwhile, Phantom Angel was awakened and found herself in one of the rooms inside of Allen's house. She tried to open her eyes very slowly because she has no idea of how long she slept since Allen took her away from StarLily. As soon as she tried to get up, she found herself got tied up in black ropes. Her hands were behind her back while her wings and legs were in bind. She tried to loose up the ropes from her hands, but they were too tight and very hard to lose. She couldn't even use her magic to set herself free somehow.

"Morning, sleeping beauty, did you sleep well?" asked the sinister, familiar voice. Phantom Angel quickly turned around and saw Allen who was standing beside her, watching her.

"What's the big idea, Allen?" Phantom Angel asked. "You may have caught me, tied me up on your bed, and now you're watching me sleep? What are you planning to do with me next?"

Allen looked straight into Phantom Angel's eyes which made her a bit nervous and answered, "That's a very interesting question! I'll give you a hint...After what I did to Lorelei one year ago before she met you, perhaps I'm planning to do with you now!"

"Wait, what?! You can't be serious!"

"Am I now?" Allen pressed Phantom Angel's chin very hard, which it caused her pain. "How about you surrender your town to me? That is if I will release you..."

"Never! I'm not surrendering my town to you, you fiend!" Phantom Angel shook her head away from Allen's hand.

"Ugh! That's what he said to me the same thing! You're just like him! If he hadn't met you, then victory would've been mine!"

"This is exactly why Robert and I have a lot of common! And that's something you don't really understand!"

Allen grabbed Phantom Angel's neck and pinned her down to his bed. He gave her a very hard, sinister stare and sat beside her. The angel felt the pain in her neck from her enemy's grip that she almost couldn't speak.

Few moments later, Masked Swordmaster and the two guardians had finally arrived in Emblem. Unlike the last time, he and Neon had no effect on the dark poison crystal because of Katrina's special potion. The white knight sensed that Phantom Angel was inside of Allen's house, and she was in trouble. So, they rushed to the house right away and started to break down the door. Masked Swordmaster took out his guardian cannon while he was searching for Phantom Angel and Allen somewhere inside of the house.

Phantom Angel was struggling that she couldn't get Allen's hand away from her while he was choking her. She twitched her eye when she was looking at him. As soon as his face was closer to hers, a single tear fell from one of her eyes that she could hardly speak.

"R-Robert..." said Phantom Angel softly, as Allen was shocked to hear of what she was saying.

"You fool, he's already dead at your town!" Allen argued. "It's pointless for you to call out his name! And there's no one else that can save you now!"

Suddenly, a loud explosion that caused the bedroom door to break down. Allen and Phantom Angel quickly saw of what's going on and who or what caused the explosion. Surprisingly, Masked Swordmaster had arrived with his guardian cannon along with the two guardians by his side. Phantom Angel was very glad that he's here just in time to save her, but Allen, on the other hand, was not very amused to see him.

"What the...?!" Allen growled. "How was that possible?! I thought you were buried in the graveyard or something, Goldstein! But how on earth can you still be alive?!"

"First, you mistreated my little sister; and now, you suffered my girlfriend long enough, Allen!" Masked Swordmaster shouted, as he pushed Allen away from Phantom Angel and threw punches at him a couple of times. Then, he used his guardian cannon to aim at him. "Guardian cannon shockwave!"

Masked Swordmaster blasted Allen away with his cannon as the dark knight fell out of the window and onto the ground. The white knight set Phantom Angel free, and they safely embraced each other. She knew that the miracle lipstick that Katrina gave her worked out like a charm. Masked Swordmaster was already aware of this because the panther already explained it to him.

"How did you get here?" Phantom Angel asked.

"Let's just say your guardian gave us a helping hand," Masked Swordmaster replied, as he turned to Serena who winked at the dynamic duo.

"Oh, thank goodness! By the way, what happened to you exactly from another day? Lorelei and Darren were so worried about you after they found out you disappeared somehow."

"Yeah, I'm about to explain this to you right now. So, do you remember the time when Allen caught me from our dreams?"

"Yes, of course I remember that! So, what happened after you got captured?"

Masked Swordmaster began his explanation to Phantom Angel, Serena, and Neon about what happened to him. It happened one day ago when he woke up from his dream, he found himself that he was not in his hotel room. He was somehow transported to Allen's house and quickly stood up on the floor. As soon as he saw Allen in the flesh, he quickly transformed and attacked him right away. But when he lost the battle, the dark knight threw him out of the house and stabbed him with the dark poison crystal shard. The white knight couldn't move and was too weak because Allen attached the crystal on his side. He knew that his power alone could not defeat Allen, and he suddenly passed out. That was the end of the heroic knight's explanation.

"If I would've known that Allen offered you a deal, then I should've told you that he was really planning to set you up," said Masked Swordmaster. "He said that to me in front of my ear when I became weak. I could've stopped you and warned you that it was nothing but a trick before you turned yourself in..."

"But if I turned down Allen's deal, then you will die..." said Phantom Angel. "I don't really want anything happened to you ever again, Masked Swordmaster, not even like this! What would Lorelei react if your life is in peril?"

"She'll be very disappointed, I know..."

"That's exactly my point there! But to put that aside, there's something I have to ask you..."

"And...what would that be?"

"After we defeated Allen, what will you be doing in your life?"

"Uh, no offense, but why do you have to ask that question by the time like this?" Serena interrupted.

"And Allen may show up in any minute now!" Neon added.

The Duo of Justice ignored the guardians and continued to have a conversation for a while. Before Masked Swordmaster could answer Phantom Angel's question, Allen suddenly appeared and flew right back up to his room. He glared at them with his flashing red eyes and the dark purple aurora was surrounding him by the dark poison crystal's power. Luckily, the guardians warned them that he has returned so the dynamic duo prepared for battle against him. Allen took out his powerful spear and attacked the Duo of Justice right away. They quickly dodged his attack and jumped out of his house right away.

"Are you alright?" Masked Swordmaster asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Phantom Angel replied. "What about you?"

"I'm alright!"

"So, what do we do now? Allen is insanely powerful than before..."

"Then, why not let us help you both instead?" Serena asked. "Phantom Angel, do you remember the time when we defeated Teb with our powers combined?"

"Yeah, but what about it, Serena?" Phantom Angel asked.

"We're going to combine our powers again to defeat Allen!"

"Ah, that's a great idea, Serena!" said Neon. "It's a worth of shot!"

"Alright, let's do it!" said Masked Swordmaster.

The Duo of Justice took out their crystal weapons so the guardians could infuse their powers into their weapons. Serena infused her guardian powers to Phantom Angel's staff and Neon infused his powers to Masked Swordmaster's sword. Allen jumped down from his room and found the dynamic duo so he was ready to attack them.

"Once I am through with both of you, I shall rule the world full of darkness no matter what!" Allen exclaimed. "Humans and animals will bow down to me as not just the mayor, not just the president, but the god as well! And Goldstein, I'm about to take you down first since I have no idea of how you're still alive!"

"Fine with me!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he quickly stopped Phantom Angel who was about to take Allen down. "I accept your challenge, Allen! This time, it's going to be different, unlike last year!"

"Oh, we'll see about that..."

"But Masked Swordmaster, I'm not so sure if you can fight Allen alone," said Phantom Angel quietly.

"Don't worry, I'll defeat him this time," said Masked Swordmaster in full of courage. "As long as I have the power of the pure crystal and you by my side, I'll be fine. Just trust me on this, okay?"

"Okay, I trust you as always!"

After Phantom Angel moved away and headed for the safe place, Allen and Masked Swordmaster were facing off against each other. The dark knight punched his rival's face, but the white knight grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground. Allen immediately sat up and quickly knocked Masked Swordmaster down by using his low kick. He used his dark spear to kill him off, but the heroic knight dodged his attack and countered it with his crystalized sword. Their weapons were clashing together while the two knights were pushing them by force.

Phantom Angel was watching the scene and noticed that Allen was a bit stronger than Masked Swordmaster. She saw her ally was sweating a lot more than his nemesis. She quickly took a look at the giant dark poison crystal where the town tree was used to be there. Without either of the knights watching her, she headed to the town plaza and began to investigate the crystal. Phantom Angel realized that it might not be destroyed on the outside, but there could be a weak point to destroy it on the inside.

"Phantom Angel, do you have a plan?" Serena asked, as she appeared in transparent because she infused herself to Phantom Angel's crystal staff.

"I believe I do..." Phantom Angel replied. "Serena, you did say that we cannot destroy the crystal on the outside, right?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what Neon said..."

"That's true alright, but did he say anything about the inside?"

"What? W-Wait, where is this going? I-I mean, he didn't say anything about the inside though..."

"Then, why not destroy it on the inside instead? It's a worth of try."

"Girl, I think I know where this is going. So, let's get moving, shall we?"

Phantom Angel summoned the portal to enter the dark poison crystal's interior dimension. As soon as she was inside, the whole area was covered in dark purple shade and the lightning was black wherever it struck. She quickly dodged the lightning bolt and tried to avoid it from getting electrocuted. She quickly used the magical barrier to protect herself just in case if the lightning struck again. She began to look around to see if there's a weak point in sight. Until few seconds later, she finally found something that was round with red, purple, and black altogether.

"Aha, core of darkness at two o'clock high!" Phantom Angel exclaimed.

"Good work, Phantom Angel!" said Serena happily. "You've found the dark poison crystal's weak point! Remember about one of the hard trainings I taught you in the past? Allow me to lend you my power so you can destroy that thing! Are you ready for this?"

"Yes, I'm always ready, Serena! Here we go! Phantom light ring blades!"

With Serena's power, Phantom Angel summoned the multiple ring blades to destroy the dark core. The first layer of the core was completely demolished and revealed its second layer. The angel called out her another attack to destroy the second layer.

"Phantom celestial light arrow!" Phantom Angel called, as she used her crystal staff to circle around her from head to toe.

The celestial arrows destroyed the dark core's second layer one by one. As soon as the layer was cracked open, it showed the third and final layer of the core. Now, it was getting smaller so Phantom Angel could break it down and the dark poison crystal would be destroyed.

"Pure light force dagger!" Phantom Angel called, as the light daggers stabbed the shrunken dark core and it was completely broken into pieces.

Meanwhile, Allen and Masked Swordmaster continued to face off against each other. This time, the white knight's force was getting stronger somehow than the dark knight's. Allen wouldn't believe his eyes that he was supposed to be stronger than his rival. Masked Swordmaster pushed him away with his sword and called out his attack.

"Pure light sword slash!" Masked Swordmaster shouted, as he cut off Allen's dark spear in half.

"H-How is that possible?" Allen asked. "T-This is not supposed to happen! Grr! That fortune, Katrina gave me from last year, was nothing but laughable! She said to me that I was defeated by the duo of light. I wouldn't believe such a rubbish fortune so I completely ignored it! Until now, it was true...But still, I WOULD'VE CHANGED THAT FATE, AND THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN DEFEAT ME!"

"Allen, you cannot deny your fortune," said Masked Swordmaster, feeling less pity. "Even if you tried to change it, your fortune will stay the same no matter what!"

"Oh, who asked you, Goldstein? Nobody wants your pity, okay? As I said before, you still cannot defeat me!" Suddenly, the dark poison crystal, from Allen's necklace, was starting to shatter into tiny pieces. "What?! No! T-This can't be happening!"

Masked Swordmaster wouldn't believe his eyes that the dark poison crystal started to shatter. Then, he and Allen immediately saw the giant dark poison crystal was beginning to crack somehow. Suddenly, Phantom Angel returned from the dark poison crystal's interior dimension. She was very exhausted after she destroyed its weak point. Masked Swordmaster rushed to her and caught her in time before she fell to the ground.

"Phantom Angel, are you okay?" Masked Swordmaster asked, being worried.

"Y-Yeah...I-I'm okay..." Phantom Angel replied, breathing heavily. "I just...I used up all my magic and energy to destroy...the dark poison crystal's weak point..."

"What's that?" Neon asked surprisingly, as he suddenly appeared in transparent. "The dark poison crystal has the weak point?"

"H-How on earth did you do that?" Masked Swordmaster asked curiously.

Before Phantom Angel could answer, Allen walked very slowly and glared at the Duo of Justice. As soon as he watched the dark poison crystal breaking up and falling apart, he was shock and realized of why he was losing his crystal power. Finally, he glared at Phantom Angel who was fully recovered from exhaustion after she destroyed the dark core.

"You angel freak, what did you just do?!" Allen asked angrily.

"Let's just say I finally discovered your crystal's weak point, Allen," Phantom Angel replied, as she was starting to grin. "Since I destroyed the dark poison crystal's core, you're powerless now."

"B-But that can't be! There's no way you can destroy it, and you simply cannot defeat me!"

Allen began to charge right through the Duo of Justice with his battle cry. But they quickly punched him at the same time and knocked him to the ground.

"He's all yours now, Masked Swordmaster!" said Phantom Angel, winking at him. "Just give him the grand finale!"

"You got it!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he took out his crystalized sword. "Neon, lend me your power so I can end my enemy's lifetime!"

"Will do, and I will give it all I've got!" Neon exclaimed.

With Neon's power infused with the crystalized sword, Masked Swordmaster began to launch his powerful, ultimate attack and shouted, "Purified sword stab!"

Masked Swordmaster stabbed right through Allen's stomach with his crystalized sword. As soon as he removed it, Allen collapsed and was turned into dust. The white knight was so relieved that his troubles were finally over. All of the sudden, he was all worn out and fainted so quickly. Phantom Angel caught him just in time and hugged him very close. She noticed he could hardly breathe and started to have the chills.

"Masked Swordmaster?" said Phantom Angel softly.

Serena and Neon were separated from the heroes' weapons and checked on Masked Swordmaster. They knew that something would've happened so soon.

"Phantom Angel, there's something that we must tell you," said Serena.

"You see, Masked Swordmaster took the potion that Katrina gave him was starting to wear off..." Neon explained.

"Wait, so you're trying to say is that the potion is not permanent?" said Phantom Angel anxiously.

"Unfortunately, it's the temporary one I'm afraid..."

"B-But that can't be! He was supposed to stay strong, not like this!" Phantom Angel looked back at Masked Swordmaster who was out cold. "Oh no, Robert...just stay with me please!"


	33. New Memories And New Life

Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice

Chapter 32: New Memories And New Life

Phantom Angel cried over Masked Swordmaster who was now unconscious after he defeated Allen. Serena and Neon were very sad that he was still not awake. Few moments later, something was glowing from Phantom Angel's chest. It magically appeared from her heart, and it turned out to be the light pure crystal. It was starting to shine very brightly and creating another pure crystal for Masked Swordmaster. It purified his body and started to recover him from his injuries. Serena and Neon were very surprised that the pure crystal could actually do that.

After it was over, one pure crystal returned to Phantom Angel's heart and another infused to Masked Swordmaster's heart. He suddenly breathed normally and opened his eyes that Phantom Angel was so relieved that her boyfriend was fully recovered. He placed his hand on her cheek to touch her very lightly. As soon as they were smiling at each other, they were hugging together very tightly. Serena and Neon were very glad that they were starting to chuckle very lightly. When the Duo of Justice were staring at each other, Masked Swordmaster suddenly came up in realization.

"Oh Phantom Angel, that reminds me..." said Masked Swordmaster. "Do you remember when you said you want to restore Emblem now that we have the pure crystal powers?"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" said Phantom Angel. "I did remember saying that! So, I will give it all I've got!"

Phantom Angel used her crystal staff to restore Emblem with Serena's help. Until few seconds later, everyone felt the ground shaking very fast. They tried to stand still as they could during the earthquake. All of the sudden, they saw several cracks on the ground and noticed that the edges of the land began to crumble into pieces.

"Oh no, what's happening now?" Phantom Angel asked in panic.

"Oh, I was afraid this would happen..." said Neon. "When the dark poison crystal was destroyed, this ruined town will collapse into the deep sea!"

"What? But we have to restore this town right away!"

"I'm afraid we're too late for that!" Serena exclaimed. "There's no other choice, but to escape now!"

"Then, we've got to get out of here before we'll fall into the depths of the ocean!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed. "Phantom Angel, do something and hurry!"

"Right!" Phantom Angel agreed, as she used her crystal staff to summon the portal. "Phantom teleportation portal!"

Everyone quickly entered the portal before it closed down and the land began to collapse into the ocean. While they were on their way back to StarLily, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were holding onto each other and the guardians were floating above them. Phantom Angel held the tiny dark poison crystal, she found on the ground, with her two fingers; and it was the last remain before it turned into a speck of dust and disappeared.

"Whoa, did you see that?" Phantom Angel asked. "That dark poison crystal suddenly disappeared after it turned into a speck of dust."

"Yeah, just like the bubble had a short amount of time before it pops," said Masked Swordmaster, changing his subject. "Say, Phantom Angel, when you asked me about what I'll be doing in my life right after Allen was gone..."

"Yes? Do you have an answer to that?"

Masked Swordmaster nodded. "I certainly do. Even we may have failed to restore Emblem which I don't care about it anymore, but there's one thing I care about is...you. That's right, all I want is to spend the rest of my life with you!"

Phantom Angel blushed slightly and said, "Oh Robert...I-I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too!"

"Oh Vicki, I love you..."

"I love you, too, Robert..."

After the bittersweet moment between the Duo of Justice, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were kissing together while they were still holding onto each other. They nearly forgot about Serena and Neon who were floating above them. So, the guardians kept quiet about it and watched the dynamic duo from above.

Meanwhile in StarLily, people and animals were still standing at the town plaza. Especially Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren who weren't expecting the crowd to wait that long since Masked Swordmaster left. Suddenly, the light came out of nowhere in front of the town tree and the Duo of Justice had finally return in one piece. Surprisingly, they didn't expect the crowd to wait for them for too long. Although, they were very happy that they had return safe and sound.

"D-Don't look at me, I didn't tell them to wait here for our return..." said Masked Swordmaster, as he was glancing at Phantom Angel who gave him an awkward stare.

"Of course you didn't," said Isabelle, who was standing behind the white knight. "S-Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you like this...It's just that..."

"Oh no, it's fine, Isabelle, really!" said Phantom Angel. "Y-You guys were just worried about us, do you?"

"Y-Yeah, maybe so...But anyways, is it okay if I can give you an interview for just a moment here?"

"Yeah, sure thing!" the Duo of Justice replied in unison.

Several days after Isabelle interviewed with the Duo of Justice, Vicki started to read the front headline with the big picture of the dynamic duo. Robert stopped by at the town hall and immediately saw her at the office. She took a glimpse at him and quickly left the office with the newspaper in her hand. She showed him the front headline, and they were very glad about it.

"You know, Isabelle did a great job on the headline!" said Vicki happily.

"Yeah, she sure did alright!" Robert agreed.

"Why, thank you very much, you two!" said Isabelle happily. "Oh, Mayor Vicki...If only you were there with me, you would be so proud that the Duo of Justice saved the day from the evil threat! When they explained to me about what happened, it gives me the goosebumps and the excitement! Don't you think you feel the same way as I am?"

"O-Of course, I feel the same way as you do, Isabelle!" Vicki replied. "That's good for the Duo of Justice! Action takes flight as they always say!"

"I couldn't agree more!" said Robert. "Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to have some time together."

After Vicki and Robert said goodbye to Isabelle, they left the town hall and went to the town tree to sit down together. While they were laughing with each other happily, they immediately saw the airplane flew by. Vicki saw it for the second time and it made her realize something.

"Say, Robert...ever since I saw the airplane for the first time, I was beginning to wish I could get on there so I can travel places," Vicki explained. "I was curious though...do you ever think about getting on the airplane to travel the world or the island?"

"Come to think of it, I do," Robert replied. "I always wish to get on the airplane, too."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"If you really mean it, then I want to go with you! Seriously, that settles it! Let's leave StarLily together so we will go by the airplane! It doesn't matter of where it will take us, and we will be staying there together! What do you say, Robert?"

"Oh Vicki...if you're planning to go to the unknown destination with me by the airplane, then who's going to be the mayor of StarLily?"

"Ah, I think I know the right person who will become the future mayor of StarLily…"

Several days after Vicki talked to Isabelle about her consideration of StarLily's future mayor, people and animals had gather around the town plaza. The dog secretary was ready to announce the new mayor of StarLily who would willing to take Vicki's place. So, the crowd paid attention to her as she was starting to speak up.

"Attention everyone, I will like to announce the new mayor of StarLily!" Isabelle announced. "Please allow me to introduce your new mayor...Mayor Nick!"

The crowd began to applause when Nick stepped in and waved at them. Since he's no longer an employee of Nook's Homes, he wore a light blue shirt with a black tie and a dark grey pants. Everybody was cheering on him when he said, "Thank you! Thank you! You're too kind!" Sammy and Jimmy weren't pleased about this, but they didn't seem to care at all. Suddenly, the raccoon named Tom Nook came to see Isabelle and asked her if he could make an announcement. So, she told him to go right ahead and Nick moved away.

"Um, attention everyone..." Tom Nook announced, as the crowd started to pay attention to him. "I have an announcement to make...You see, I've been thinking a lot lately, yes yes...so I decided to tell you something very important to get this off my chest. Here it goes...I, Tom Nook, the president of Nook's Homes, have decided to resign my position."

The crowd was bewildered in confusion of why Tom Nook was resigning his position, not even Nick knew about this. So, the raccoon continued his speech before the crowd started to react so sudden.

"But there's more if I daresay..." said Tom Nook. "I know someone who will take my place, and he deserves to get promoted as the president of Nook's Homes. Allow me to introduce your new president and my dear friend, Lyle!"

The blue otter with the glasses stepped up in front of the crowd and waved at them while they were applauding. Everybody was so grateful that Nick became the mayor of StarLily and Lyle became the president of Nook's Homes. Those were the best announcements of StarLily that they could ever had in their entire lifetime. Isabelle decided to throw a party at the town plaza and everybody agreed with her.

It's been over a night since Isabelle decided to have a party at the town plaza. Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were sitting at the log bench, drinking their juice. Nick put his arm around Serenity and Lorelei cuddled up with Darren while they were looking at the moonlight. Few seconds later, the two couples were kissing on the beautiful night.

At the town plaza, Sammy and Jimmy decided to do the conga dance. While the music was playing by DJ KK, the animals were joining the twins and doing the conga dance with them. Sammy was the lead, Jimmy was second, Isabelle was third, Tom Nook was fourth, and the other animals were right behind them. They were dancing to the rhythm and enjoying their time together.

At the beach, Vicki and Robert were sitting on the sandy ground and watching the ocean waves. She laid her head on his shoulder and his head was next to hers. They slowly touched their fingers before they held their hands. Finally, they glanced at each other with their smiling faces.

"Well, Vicki, are you ready to leave this town by tomorrow?" Robert asked.

"Yes, I'm so ready for this!" Vicki replied. "What about you, Robert?"

"Oh, I'm ready whenever you are!"

Vicki and Robert chuckled happily as they were kissing each other under the moonlight. Katrina, Serena, and Neon were watching over them from the top of the hill. The panther smiled broadly when StarLily was in peace once again.

"I knew that their bonds are unbreakable, thanks to their secretive power," said Katrina.

"Um, what secretive power, Katrina?" Serena asked.

"There is something that those two have that no one else does..."

"And what could that be?" Neon asked.

"That secretive power is called...miracle romance."

Serena and Neon didn't quite understand of what Katrina was saying. They just blinked their eyes while they were looking at her.

"E-Excuse me?" said Neon, being confused.

"C-Can you repeat that one more time and explain please?" Serena asked.

"Miracle romance is the most powerful bond that those two have," Katrina explained. "It's the power that the dynamic duo have created since they first met. Not only this power could make them stronger, but it creates the pure crystal as well..."

Serena and Neon were fully understand of Katrina's explanation. Her eyes were sparkling while she was watching over Vicki and Robert who were still kissing together. Then, she closed her eyes and sighed when she realized that they were planning to leave the town within the next day.

One day later, Vicki and Robert were getting on the airplane along with Tom Nook and the Nookling twins, Timmy and Tommy. Everybody, in town, were very sad to see them go somewhere around the world. As soon as the airplane was ready for take off, they were all waving and saying goodbye. When the airplane flew higher and higher, Nick and Lorelei ran off until they reached to the end to see their older siblings for their final time. Vicki and Robert looked at the window and saw their younger siblings waving at them for the final time. So, they waved them back whether they saw them or not.

With Allen and his retainers were now gone along with the dark poison crystal, StarLily was in peace once again. Nick became the new mayor of StarLily and Lyle became the new president of Nook's Homes. Timmy and Tommy decided to let Darren to be charge of Nooklings' store. Some animal villagers went to the mineral exhibit to take a picture of the pure crystal that the Duo of Justice donated it from another day. Blathers added the protection around it to make sure that the crystal was safe and sound.

Serena and Neon were on top of the airplane for a ride without being contacted by the animals and humans, except Vicki and Robert. While Timmy, Tommy, and Tom Nook were asleep, Vicki and Robert were very excited that they were riding in the airplane for the first time. Vicki was very glad that she finally found someone who became her first true love. Robert was very happy that he finally found someone who really loved him and became his real true love. The duo kissed for the final time before they fell asleep. Nobody would know what their destination could await them. Wherever they're heading, they surely would live happily together.

End of saga two...

Author's notes: This is the end of book two, folks! I know this story is very long than book one though, but that doesn't matter. Anyways, I'm planning to write the third story after I took a break, a summer break...maybe. So, this is Ispychan, signing out!


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